Category Archives: Research Studies

Developing a Virtual Mental Health Framework to Support School-Age Children on the Autism Spectrum (e-MH)

Our team at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and York University is working on a study to understand the benefits and challenges of virtual mental health (e-MH) support for school-age autistic children and their families in Canada, with the aim to improve the usefulness of e-MH. We would like to first gather the experiences of caregivers of autistic children who have used e-MH support, and clinicians who have recommended e-MH support for autistic children, via an online survey using the REDCap platform.

Caregiver: Are you a caregiver to a child diagnosed with autism, who has used virtual mental health support? Please fill out a survey to tell us about your experience!

Clinician: Are you a clinician who has provided or recommended virtual mental health support to children diagnosed with autism? Please fill out a survey to tell us about your experience!

Survey Link: https://redcap.link/emh-autism

Investigating Social Support as a Moderator of Affiliate Stigma and Depressive Symptoms in Caregivers of Autistic Children

The study we are currently running is called The moderating effect of social support: Experiences of affiliate stigma and depressive symptoms in caregivers of autistic children.  We are interested in how experienced stigma and social support affect the mood of caregivers of children with autism.  We are looking for the primary caregiver of autistic children between the ages of one and eighteen who live at home. The primary caregiver would be asked to complete five short questionnaires which would take about 45-60 minutes. For your participation, you will receive a $10 gift card from Amazon.

Identifying barriers to healthcare for minority-language speakers on the autism spectrum through stakeholder engagement

Minority-language speakers (M-LS) face barriers in accessing and using healthcare. Such disparities have been reported across several conditions, including in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. Few studies have examined the barriers faced by minority-language children on the autism spectrum to accessing and using healthcare services in Canada. The current study proposes to fill this gap through stakeholder interviews with five different focus groups which will be held at six regions in Canada (i.e., the Maritimes, Québec, Ontario, the Prairies, BC, and the North). Stakeholders will include parents of children 0-6 years who are M-LS, adults on the autism spectrum who are M-LS, as well as clinicians, healthcare administrators and community workers who work with children on the autism spectrum who are M-LS and their families. The information gathered will serve to inform the federal government and their provincial counterparts and to improve service access and use for M-LS on the autism spectrum and their families. If you fall within one of these categories, and you are interested in sharing your experiences, please contact [email protected]

The Type of Passion and Optimal Functionning in Autism

One of the diagnostic criteria for autism is the presence of interests that are atypical in intensity or focus. These are often perceived by parents and caregivers as harmful, and are targets for autism interventions. Yet their consequences are still poorly understood, and not reported by autistic individuals themselves. According to the dualistic passion theory, an activity can be associated with positive and negative consequences, depending on the type of passion involved (obsessive or harmonious). This conceptual framework has never been applied to an autistic population, in whom restricted interests can resemble passions.

The aim of this project is to better understand the links between autistic people’s passion for their preferred activity and its consequences on optimal functioning. An online study comprising of questionnaires is being carried out with young adults with autism between the ages of 14 and 30.

This research has the potential to bring important nuance to the adaptive role of preferred interests, as perceived by people with autism. It could contribute to the recognition of the lever for intervention and social integration that these interests can represent.

 

Sensory Experiences in Autism

Do you ever wonder how different sounds and noises impact your daily life? We are conducting a study to explore sensory experiences in autistic (or not) individuals, with diverse backgrounds. It’s a chance to share your unique perspectives and contribute to our understanding of sensory phenomena.

 

Your input will play a crucial role in uncovering the intricacies of sensory experiences and their influence on our lives. By participating, you’ll help us pave the way for future insights, potential interventions, and support systems.  It will take a max of 8 minutes to complete.

 

Joining is simple! Just click the link below to access our quick questionnaire and share your experiences. Your responses will remain anonymous and confidential. If you’re interested in learning more about the study aims, procedures, privacy measures, and more, please click the link below. It will provide you with all the necessary information before you decide to participate. 

 

🔗 Survey Link (and extra info!): https://fmru.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ebuUa3rNw9O3kuW  

 

We truly appreciate your time and contribution to this exciting study. Thank you for being a part of our research journey!

 

Warm regards,

Elena Sofia Silva and Dr. James Trujillo

Radboud University

Adapting screen-time management guidelines into individualized behavioural programs for families of children with autism

We are recruiting families of children aged 5 to 12 years old with autism spectrum disorder.

About the study:

Screen-based technologies such as television, computers, video games, tablets etc. have become standard tools in education, health, recreation, and social contexts for children with autism. Managing screen time can be challenging for any parent, but particularly for parents of children on the autism spectrum. The research team recently developed guidelines for famililes and children with autism around managing screen time that are freely available as a website. Now, they are looking at how to turn these guidelines into a behavioural program that families can use, supported by a behaviour analyst.

In this study, families of children with autism spectrum disorder will be asked to try an individualized screen time management behavioural program for 6-8 weeks with specific screen time goals that are important to the family. During one week at the start and one week at the end of the program, families will measure their child’s emotions, behaviours, physical activity, screen time at home. This will involve the use of questionnaires administered via smartphones as well as wearable devices to track activity levels throughout the day. At the end of the study, families will be interviewd about their experience.

By participating in this study, families will have a chance to help future familes naviagte screen-time challenges. In addition, participating familes will receive up to $200 in gift cards to thank them for their time. 

Exploring the Social Validity of the PEERS® Social Skills Program for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how adolescents on the autism spectrum view the PEERS® program. The PEERS® program is a social skills program designed for adolescents on the autism spectrum. Adolescents’ views will help us determine whether the PEERS® program is viewed as useful by the target demographic. We are especially interested in how the program may impact their identity.

SCHEMA Study: Autistic Adult Participants Needed for UBC Study

Study Title: The Social Communication, Historical Experiences, Memory and Affect (SCHEMA) Study

Description: SCHEMA is a three-part study that includes one in-person visit at UBC (1-2 hours) involving eye tracking and two online sessions (45 minutes each). The study takes approximately 3.5 hours total for autistic participants. Participants will receive $52.50 in the form of an Amazon gift card.

Eligibility: To participate, participants must be…

  • 18-30 yrs old
  • fluent in English
  • have no history of colour blindness, intellectual disability, psychosis, seizure, epilepsy, eye surgeries, head injury (last 6 months), eye movement abnormalities, glasses with more than one power

How do you sign up?

If interested, please fill out the eligibility screener survey (~3min) here. 

Study Contacts:
Principle Investigator: Dr. Connor Kerns, Ph.D.
Primary Contact: Kate Rho (Research coordinator)

This study has been approved by University of British Columbia’s Behaviour Research Ethics Board (ID: H23-00378).

Does a father’s exposure to environmental factors influence the risk for autism in his children?

Genetic studies have identified about 100 candidate genes for autism, yet most cases are unexplained. The rising rates of autism suggest that gene environment interactions may be implicated in paternal factors associated with autism in children. In support of this possibility older father’s, overweight men, and men exposed to toxicants such as endocrine disruptors are all at a greater risk of having children with autism.  The risk of paternal age and having a child with ASD has been well studied with the chance of having a child with ASD being 28% higher among Father’s over the age of 40, and 66% higher for men > 50 yrs.  For almost 20 years we have been studying the connections between paternal exposures and the impact on the heritable information in the sperm known as the epigenome, and its relation to development and disease in children.  The epigenome sits on top of the DNA and is responsive to factors such as toxicants, age, diet, being overweight and other lifestyle factors.  The sperm epigenome is transmitted at fertilization and can influence development and disease risk in children. Unlike DNA the epigenome can be altered by interventions such as diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.  These interventions coupled with pre-conception screening have the potential to reduce the risk of having a child with autism.

 

We are planning to study the connections between environmental exposures and the sperm epigenome in relation to autism risk for children.  To do so we would like to work with families who have children with autism in a partnered research program.  The commitment requested is to help us develop an outreach program where we can reach the autism community and public with relevant messaging aimed at increasing awareness about environmental influences on Dad’s health that can impact the health of his children.  This would involve virtual meetings held several times a year for no more than 90 min. We also ask that participants provide a semen sample that can be shipped from home to the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM) for analysis, and respond to our health and lifestyle questionnaire. All data will be securely stored and anonymized. If participants wish we will keep them informed of our research progress and findings.

 

The long-term goals of our study are to develop effective public health messaging and pre-conception screening approaches to assess and modify risk of transmission via intervention.

Exploring autistic experiences in, and perspectives on speech-language therapy: A Survey

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].