Researchers from Western University are seeking autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic individuals residing in Canada for participation in a brief survey to share their experiences and opinions regarding speech-language pathology (SLP) services for autistic children and youth. Participants will have the opportunity to be compensated for their participation.

This project aims to explore: (a) the lived-experience of autistic individuals and their families who have received speech and language therapy services, and (b) autistic individuals’ and families’ current values and needs for optimal SLP service delivery for autistic clients. A cross-sectional anonymous, online survey will be distributed to autistic persons (18 years+) and parents of autistic children who have received SLP services and currently reside in Canada. Survey findings will inform the development of a comprehensive, community partner-informed Guidance Document for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who work with autistic children and youth. Click here to complete the survey.

Contact principal investigator Dr. Amanda Binns, PhD, SLP-CCC for more information [email protected].

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are looking for people ages 13-17 who are neurodiverse (autistic) and neurotypical to participate in eye-tracking while reading Manga (a Japanese comic). This study will provide some of the first research to ascertain if there is any affinity to manga by youth with autism, and to appreciate if there are differences in how youth read manga. If there are differences this can lead to a further understanding of the cognitive impact of autism on reading, including areas of novel research, allow for potential objective measure for diagnostic purposes, and use of manga in for communication or intervention. 

The study takes about 20 minutes and will be at UBC. Participants will receive a $20 honorarium and UBC parking will be reimbursed. Anyone who is interested can sign via the registration form here.

Contact [email protected] or 604-423-4803 for more information.

Researchers at the University of Montreal are evaluating the effect of video games on children’s rhythmic abilities and cognition. The game is a mobile app for tablet and smartphone. Participants should meet these criteria:

• Age between 7-13 years old.
• Understand English and/or French.
• Be non-musician (have less than two years of formal musical training).
• Have a normal sight and hearing (or corrected to normal).
• Have an ASD diagnosis, without comorbidities (mention this in email).
• Live anywhere in Canada

$50 compensation is provided for your child’s participation, which includes: playing an entertaining game on tablet from home (2h30/week for 2 weeks), plus two sessions of video conference (about 90 & 45 minutes each) to help prepare for the game and complete questionnaires and online tasks.

Please contact the research team to to confirm your eligibility by email at [email protected].

Researchers at the UBC Okanagan School of Nursing are looking for individuals to provide input for developing and testing an online training resource for supporting parents raising a child on the autism spectrum. The researchers have developed this online survey to gather input from both parents of children on the autism spectrum as well as service providers about their interests and preferences about different types of safety related information and format for web-based resources. The main goal of this study is to develop and evaluate a website pertaining to safety issues for children on the autism spectrum and provide resources for families and recreation personnel to support active and safe recreation participation. 

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete: Parent/Provider Online Survey

Contact Dr. Lise Olsen at [email protected] or see the study poster for more details.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are investigating teachers’ perspective on the student-teacher relationship quality with elementary-aged female students with autism spectrum disorder. The study is looking for current or previous elementary-school teachers to complete a 15-minute online survey. Participants are eligible to participate if they have taught in the past three years an elementary school-aged female students with ASD, were a full-time teacher at the time in a mainstream/inclusive school, taught within Canada, and are proficient in English. As a thank you for participating, participants will be given a chance to enter a draw to win one of ten $20 gift cards.

Contact Melissa Lazo at [email protected] for more information.