Families and Autism Research

This is the research website of  Gael Orsmond, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University

Gael Orsmond, Principal Investigator

Dr. Orsmond is a developmental and clinical psychologist whose research program focuses on social issues related to developmental disabilities. Her main areas of research are: (1) the impact of developmental disabilities (particularly autism spectrum disorders) on the family, how that impact is experiences over the life course, and how different family members (mothers, fathers, siblings) adapt; and (2) social relationships in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder.

Current Projects:

  • Adolescents and Adults with Autism: A Study Of Family Caregiving (AAA Study). Since 2000, Dr. Orsmond and colleagues at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been conducting a large-scale longitudinal study with families of adolescents and adults with autism.  Dr. Orsmond is the site director for Massachusetts and a co-investigator on this project, funded by the National Institutes on Aging.
  • Friendship Research (The VIP Study). Dr. Orsmond and her colleague Dr. Ellen Cohn have been conducting mixed-methods research on the social lives of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder.