Autism Caregiving And Behaviors

The goal of this telephone interview is to assess general family functioning, responsibilities of family members, and perceptions of adolescent behavior in families who have a male child with autism. Additionally, this study aims to assess autism severity levels in children with autism using a new measure and to examine perception of adolescent behaviors.

In order to participate, families must fit the following criteria:

• Have a male child diagnosed with autism, asperger's, or pervasive developmental disorder between the ages of 11 and 14 or in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
• Have an additional typically developing child, with no developmental disabilities between the ages of 14 and 18, living at home and in high school who would like to participate.
• One parent, living with both children, who would like to participate.
• Your family is comfortable speaking English

An Exploratory Study of the Effects of a Gluten-Casein Free Diet on the Behavior of Children with Autism as Reported by Parents

This study consists of a brief questionnaire that participants (parents) complete anonymously via the link provided above. The participants must have a child who is currently using a gluten-casein free diet.

Residential Design for Families with children on the Autism Spectrum

This research is designed to explore parent's perceptions of their autistic child’s sensitivities to stimuli, interior design changes parents/caregivers have made to address those sensitivities, and parent observations of any changes in their child's behavior(s) after the changes were implemented. All participants maust be 18 years or older and they have to be either a parent or a caregiver of a child diagnosed with some form of autism.

An Exploratory Study of the Effects ofGFCF Diet on the Behaviors of Children with Autism

This study of gluten-casein free diets on the behavior of children with autism is being conducted as a thesis at Point Loma Nazarene University. November, 2011-April 1, 2012.

A Comparative Study of Select Autism Advocacy and Reesearch Organizations: Their Mission, Purpose and Focus and How Well They Meet the Needs of the Young Adult Autistic Population

For well over the past twenty years the subject of autism has been prominently featured in the news headlines of the western world. With the reported alarming rise in incidence rate has also come a corresponding rise in interest, research and focus on the condition. Organizations devoted to autism research, resources, information and advocacy also have multiplied, starting with the first autism research organization, the Autism Society of America founded in 1965. Despite the proliferation of these organizations, there is a paucity of research on their effectiveness. This study proposes to evaluate their effectiveness by assessing how well they appear to deliver on their mission statements. This study will include individual case studies of a sampling of six purposively selected representative autism research, advocacy and service organizations. The selected organizations will be examined for how they self-evaluate their performance on achieving their mission statement. This will then be compared to interviews with autistic young adults and family members of people on the autism spectrum to define their needs and how well they evaluate their needs are being met by these organizations. Finally, the individual cases will be compared to offer some cross-section analysis of the relative effectiveness and utility of the organizations. The significance of the study will be to report on how the needs are defined by the adult autism community, how well these needs are being met by these organizations and to attempt to identify where gaps in supports and services may exist, or where the autism research and service organizations may or may not be falling short of their desired outcomes.

Desired Participant Criteria:

1. Young Adults (age 18-29) with ASD
2. Parents/family members of young adults with ASD
3. Service Providers, researchers, therapists, advocates for young adults with ASD

Examination of the Convergent Validity of the Ages and Stage Questionnaires, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional, and Social Communication Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Autism at the Age of 36 to 66 Months.

The Early Intervention Program at the University of Oregon is collecting data on the Ages and Stages Questionnaires and Ages (ASQ), Stages Questionnaires: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE), and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ).The goal of the Early Intervention Program’s project is to measure the accuracy of these questionnaires in identifying children ages 3 to 5.5 with autism. To learn about the ASQ and ASQ: SE, visit the website: http://eip.uoregon.edu/, and click on the “research/project” tab. If would like to participate in the research and receive a resource activity for your child and a $10 gift card, please do the following:

1. Log in to http://pages.uoregon.edu/asqstudy/
2. Under Check’s Your Child’s Social/Emotional Development , click the “ start here” tab
3. Complete online a brief demographic checklist and 3 questionnaires
4. Email your child’s initials, child’s date of birth, and your address to Khaled at: alkherai@uoregon.edu and then receive your gift by mail.

A study of the effectiveness of a parent-assisted social skills intervention (The PEERS Program) for adolescents with high-functioning Autism and Asperger's

PEERS is a 14-week evidence-based social skills intervention for teens in middle and high school, who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. During each group session, teens are taught important social skills, and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in the session during socialization activities. Parents attend separate sessions at the same time and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by helping to expand their teen's social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments. Participants are currently being enrolled in the program and the concurrent research study which aims to examine the effectiveness of the program and any long-term gains in social skills. Research participation involves a baseline intake interview, the completion of several self-report questionnaires by the teen and parent, as well as a follow-up interview at the conclusion of the intervention.

Group and research participation is not covered by research grant funding, and there will be a fee for services provided. However, there is a possibility that your insurance provider can be billed.

Visual Perception in Families Affected by Autism

Participants will include teenagers ages 13-17 with autism spectrum disrders (ASD), teenagers with siblings diagnosed with ASD, and teenagers with now history of ASD. Participation in this study involves one visit (lasting 60-90 minutes) to our UCSD laboratory. They involve assessment of the child to look at pictures of faces and objects on a computer screen, and make matching decisions. We will also be asking the parent to complete two questionnaires regarding how their child behaves in different social situations. The objective of the study is to understand how children with ASD, siblings of children with ASD and typically developing children may differ in the way they see the world. It is hoped that the information will lead to increased knowledge of the development of human vision and autism spetrum disorders.

The Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Parent Training Intervention in a Community Service Setting

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a specific parent training intervention for families of children with ASD on child and family outcomes. Eligible families will have children between 18 months and 8 years with a current diagnosis of ASD or who have been determined at risk for ASD, and have currently or previously received community treatment services for their child. Participation includes two, 2-hour assessments over three months and consisting of parents completing a set of standardized questionnaires about their child and family, and a 10-minute videotaped observation of parents and their child playing together. All data will be kept confidential. Families will receive $20 and children will receive a small gift after each completed assessment. Results from this study will add to the research literature on effective parent training interventions for families of children with ASD