Research Studies

Funded by: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD042168)
Institution: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
Location: Online; No geographical limitations within the United States
Eligibility Criteria: Parents of children, ages 2-12 years, with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Exclusion Criteria: Unfortunately, families with children with specific associated conditions (e.g., tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatisis, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome; blindness; deafness, cerebral palsy) are not eligible.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Grace Baranek, Ph.D., OTR/L

Contact Information: Meredith Peck, Social Clinical Research Assistant; phone: (919) 843-4531, email autism@unc.edu

This is an opportunity to participate in an online survey about your child’s sensory experiences and the impact of these sensory experiences on your child and family. We are particularly interested in how sensory experiences change over time, thus, you will be asked to complete the comprehensive survey (about 60 minutes) now and a shortened version (about 40 minutes) of the survey one year from now. The surveys are designed so if necessary you may stop taking the survey at any time and go back when it is convenient. We will collect data from approximately 1000 families to help us identify subtypes of sensory features in children with autism that may be linked to specific developmental and functional outcomes. These subtypes would potentially lead to better diagnostic practices, more precise assessment tools, more specific intervention strategies, and future discoveries of biological markers. In addition to the data you provide in the survey, we will gather some information from existing records that you provided to IAN. Thus, your participation is very important to us.

In order to complete the online survey, a computer and access to the internet is required. If you have difficulty accessing the internet, but would like to participate, please contact Meredith Peck at (919) 843-4531 so that we can send you the consent and survey forms by mail. All data will be archived on a secure server or in secure files within the University to ensure confidentiality. As a token of appreciation, you will receive a $5 gift card for completing the survey at each time point. There is no charge to participate in the study. Your participation is unlikely to result in any direct benefits to you or your child, but findings from the entire study are likely to improve our knowledge about sensory issues in autism and about assessment and intervention strategies that may benefit families in the future.