Autism Research Undertaken by Organisations other than Research Autism
This page provides details of research being undertaken by organisations and individuals other than Research Autism.
If you would your study to be included on this page please email info@researchautism.net , including details of the ethics approval for the project.
Thank you.
PAWS Research – Control Group study
Are you the parent of a child between the ages of 3 to 16yrs with ASD? Can you spare half an hour of time to talk to us over the phone? If so, we would appreciate your participation.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that owning a pet dog can help children with ASD and the family as a whole, though scientific investigation into this topic has been lacking. This study is assessing the impact of owning a pet dog on families who have a child with ASD. We have spoken to some families and now we are seeking parent volunteers without dogs to assess how having a child diagnosed with ASD impacts upon their day to day lives. Participation would involve answering questions on the phone, which would last half an hour, on three separate occasions. This study is funded by the Big Lottery and is a collaborative project between the University of Lincoln, Dogs for the Disabled and the National Autistic Society.
If you are interested, please contact Kate Thomas, PAWS Project and Research Administrator kate.thomas@dogsforthedisabled.org . Tel: 01295 759836.
Women’s experiences of living with Asperger syndrome.
A research project at the Tizard Centre, Canterbury, is seeking to gain first hand accounts of women’s experiences of living with Asperger syndrome.
In February 2010, Research Autism held its first conference on ‘Autism in women and girls: implications for diagnosis, education, services, support and quality of life’. The discussions focused on important and often neglected subjects pertaining to females with the condition, including late diagnosis and misdiagnosis of the condition, accounts and experiences of relationships, education, work and support systems.
The researcher’s intention is to interview women living in South East England who have been formally diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and who are happy to share their experiences of living with the condition. The interviews will be intimate and informal. They will take place between yourself and the researcher and will last approximately 30 minutes to one hour. These will be in a location of the participant’s choosing, or via the telephone.
Please download an information/consent form and the interview questions
For those participants who wish to volunteer themselves for the project would they please send an email to sn254@kent.ac.uk or print off the consent form and post it to Sally Nickless, Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7LZ.
Thank you very much for your participation.
Assessing Anxiety in Young People
The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London is currently looking for parents/guardians of boys aged 10 to 16 years old.
Its research is about understanding factors affecting clinical assessment of anxiety in young people. It aims to identify a ‘gold standard’ approach to its diagnosis, through exploring behaviours, thinking processes and biological responses associated with anxiety. It is particularly interested in understanding whether diagnosis of anxiety in children with ASD is accurate, and whether the thinking processes and body responses related to anxiety are the same whether a young person has ASD or not.
For more information please see
- Anxiety in Young People (PDF document)
- www.anxietyinyoungpeople.co.uk
Life satisfaction of neurotypical (NT) women in relationship with an Asperger Syndrome (AS) partner.
This study aims to investigate the life satisfaction/wellbeing of neurotypical (NT) women who are currently in, or have been involved in a relationship with a person who has AS (an Aspie). The relationship must have been a live-in relationship and survived for a period of at least 3 years.
Please contact Jennifer Bostock-Ling, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia. Email jbos8611@uni.sydney.edu.au
More information about Life satisfaction of neurotypical (NT) women in relationship with an Asperger Syndrome (AS) partner (Word document)
Young people talking openly about health, illness and lifestyles: Study on children, young people, parents and clinical trials
The purpose of the study is to improve understanding of the experiences and information needs of children and young people (ages 12 to 25 years) who are invited to take part in clinical trials, and secondly of parents who are asked to consent on a child’s behalf, or whose child has taken part in a clinical trial (child’s ages birth upwards).
Please contact Dr Lesley Powell, University of Oxford, Health Experiences Research Group, Email: lesley.powell@dphpc.ox.ac.uk Tel: 01865 617768
More information about Young people talking openly about health, illness and lifestyles (Word document)
Cognitive style differences in parents of individuals with autism spectrum conditions.
Recent research suggests that adults and teenagers with Autism Spectrum Conditions show differences in so called ‘top-down processes’ i.e. the way interest, past experiences and knowledge about the world influence, for example, how we perceive and remember current situations. Unlike other psychological features characteristic for this condition, these processes may be related not only to weaknesses but also particular strengths or islets of talent.
The aim of the current research project is to examine whether these cognitive differences may also be found in parents of individuals with ASC.
For more information on this study please contact; Roisin Doyle – roisin.doyle@kcl.ac.uk , 07827541247: Claire Wraight- claire.wraight@kcl.ac.uk, 07748402065: or Dr. Eva Loth, eva.loth@kcl.ac.uk , 0207 8480561
More information about Cognitive style differences in parents of individuals with autism spectrum conditions (Word document)
Inattentional blindness in children with autism
The aim of this project is to investigate attentional ability in children with autism. Research conducted by UCL (John Swettenham) has previously shown that adults with autism have a higher attentional capacity and are more likely to perceive stimuli that are peripheral and irrelevant to a central task search task. In this study we will ask children with autism to judge which of two arms of a cross is longer on 6 consecutive computer presented trials. On the final trial a stimulus (star shape) will appear. After the screen blanks we will ask the children if they saw anything else. Only around 30% of typically developing children fail to notice the star – our hypothesis is that significantly more children with autism will report seeing the star due to their increased perceptual capacity.
If you wish to take part or want to know more please see the document below or contact John Swettenham – Senior Lecturer, Department of Human Communication Science, University College London, Chandler House 2 Wakefield Street. WC1N1PF Email: j.swettenham@ucl.ac.uk or telephone: 02076794220
Research summary of application for support (Word document)
Supporting Children with ASD in Mainstream Education
There has been little formal research carried out into the difficulties that children with autistic spectrum disorders
face when moving schools. As such there are no established ways or methods of supporting children through this experience. This project will formally look at the difficulties and stresses that occur when a child moves to secondary school.
For further information on all the different ways in which you can participate in this research, please visit our website at: www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/gosh/autism_and_education Or contact us via email at: interaction@ich.ucl.ac.uk or on: 020 7829 8679, ext 2169
Research summary of application for support (PDF document)
Volunteers needed for London-based autism research
The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (University College London), has an ongoing programme of research with many different projects for people of all ages on the autism spectrum. This research is led by Prof. Uta Frith, Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Dr. Paul Burgess. They are interested in hearing from children, adolescents and adults with a diagnosis of autism or Asperger syndrome who would like to take part in our research.
If you are interested in taking part or would like further information about their research, please contact Dr. Geoff Bird on 020 7631 6209, email: g.bird@bbk.ac.uk
ICS Advert (PDF document)
National Centre for High Functioning Autism
The National Centre for High Functioning Autism has received a grant from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity©, to enable it to run a three year research project. For the first time it will be able to formally look at the difficulties and stresses that occur when a child moves to secondary school. Through examining closely the difficulties that the child experiences and looking at school provision for special educational needs and other environmental factors such as class size, it is aiming to identify specific ‘risk factors’. It is also hoping to identify areas of ‘best practice’ to help identify factors that support children to achieve. More information
Request from Professor Richard Grinker
I am seeking parents or guardians to interview by telephone in connection with a book I am writing on autism and treatment decisions. This is a subject of both intellectual and personal interest to me, as I am both a medical anthropologist and the father of a teenage girl with autism.
Last Updated : 22/03/2012 Back to Top
