In the interest of promoting autism awareness, we feel it is important to help spread the word about autism spectrum research studies that are being conducted in our area. For the first time, we are giving individuals and organizations the opportunity to advertise their research studies in future ASCEND e-newsletters and on our website, for a nominal fee without first becoming ASCEND members. Use this Research Study Form to submit your study. 

The Experiences of Stigma, Stress, and Social Support Amongst Fathers of Children on the Autism Spectrum 
Are you a father of a child or teenager (ages 5-18) with autism? Have you ever felt that people don't understand what your life is like and how you feel? Have you ever been rejected, judged, or embarrassed by friends, family, or even complete strangers because you are the father of an amazing and wonderful child with autism? Your experiences as a father of a child with autism are unique and important. As a parent, you are the only person who really knows what it's like to raise a child with autism. You have experienced the ups and downs, the laughter and tears, the joy and pain. We are inviting you to participate in a research study and share your experiences of stigma, stress, and social support. Your perspective will increase our understanding of what your life is like. You can help us know how it feels to be a father of a child with autism. The entire survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. As a small token of appreciation for your participation, you may choose to be entered into a raffle for one of four Amazon Fire 7 tablets.

NEW: Suicide Prevention and Autism
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are conducting a study on suicide prevention in adolescents and adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. You may qualify to participate if you are the family member of a teenager or adult with ASD.  Participants will complete a 1-hour interview with a member of our research team and will be compensated $30 for their time. Please call Dr. Shari Jager-Hyman at 215-746-3944 for more information. Investigators: Shari Jager-Hyman, PhD, Brenna Maddox, PhD, and David Mandell, ScD.

NEW: Suicide Prevention in Adolescents and Adults
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are conducting a study on suicide prevention in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. You may qualify to participate if: you are 12 or older; you have a diagnosis of ASD; you have struggled with thoughts of suicide in the past; and you have the verbal abilities to complete an interview. Participants will complete a 1-hour interview with a member of our research team and will be compensated $30 for their time. To see if the study is a good fit for you, please take our brief screener survey by going to this website. Investigators: Shari Jager-Hyman, PhD, Brenna Maddox, PhD, and David Mandell, ScD.

SPARK for Autism
We are enrolling any individual with autism spectrum disorder and their biological parents into the nation’s largest autism study, called SPARK. The goal of SPARK is to speed up autism research and find the genetic causes of autism. All participants enroll online at www.sparkforautism.org/CHOP and then provide a saliva sample via kits that are mailed to the home. Families who return the saliva collection kits will receive compensation and access to free webinars and an interactive and informational dashboard. For more information: 267-426-4971 [email protected]

Police Safety Study
We are looking for teens and adults ages 12 and older with autism spectrum disorder to participate in a research study testing two different methods of helping people with ASD learn to interact with police officers. One method will use virtual reality (VR) and the other uses video modeling (VM). Participation in this study involves one to three visits to CAR for VR or VM intervention and complete questionnaires. Participants will be compensated for their time. For more information: Ashley Zitter [email protected]

Social and Motor Communication Study
The goal of this research study is to better understand differences in the way children with autism move their bodies and faces compared to children who are developing typically. Children who are diagnosed with ASD or who are typically developing are invited to participate in this study, which will include a visit to CAR to complete simple social skills tasks, motor behavior and language tasks as well as an IQ test. Participants will be compensated for their time and effort and will receive a brief report of their behavioral and IQ tests results. For more information: [email protected] | 267-425-1192 

Orbiting- For Repetitive and Restrictive Behaviors
No two people with autism are the same. And of course we wouldn’t want them to be. We’re looking for children and adults with autism between the ages of 5 and 17 to join the oRBiting study. oRBiting will help us to better understand the different scales used to measure certain behaviors associated with autism. We’ll also ask what wearable technologies can tell us about autism. For more information: 267-425-1179 Jessica Tschida.