Contact Information: Danielle Raines, Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013; draines@mail.widener.edu

The goal of this study is to further explain the language and social difficulties associated with autism disorder. With this understanding, interventions and treatments can be further refined and made more effective. The findings of this study will be useful to parents of children with autism, as well as professionals that work with them, such as psychologists, regular and special education teachers, behavioral specialists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists, among others.

If you agree to participate, the researcher will conduct the study at your home. Participation will include you completing three forms which will be mailed to you beforehand. Two forms will ask you questions about your child’s social behavior and social interaction skills. The third form will include demographic questions such as your child’s age, education, gender, siblings, among other things. When the researcher comes to your home, your child will complete tasks to measure his or her language ability as well as tasks measuring his or her ability to identify and understand emotions and social situations. The forms you completed will be collected at this time. Participation is expected to take approximately 45 to 60 minutes. The results will be compiled anonymously; therefore, you will not receive any specific results regarding your participation in this study.

There is no charge to participate in this study. Once you and your child have fully completed your participation your child will receive a ten dollar gift card to Target or Wawa.

If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Danielle Raines at draines@mail.widener.edu to schedule a time to participate.