Families and Autism Research Lab

Research in the Families and Autism Research Lab (FAR) Lab focuses on contextual aspects of autism across the life course, such as family relationships, friendships, and social and community participation, especially during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Currently, we are conducting two studies.

The ROAD Ahead Study is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). This study focuses on the interventions and supports provided to diploma track high school students on the autism spectrum, and  how they learn to manage the responsibilities of adulthood. For information about this study, please contact us at buroad@bu.edu.

We are just completing Siblings FORWARD which was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). We worked with service providers, adult siblings, and autistic adults to develop a new program to help adult siblings become more involved with their families to plan for the future when they have a family member on the autism spectrum.

Lab Director
Gael Orsmond, PhD
Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
635 Commonwealth Ave. | Boston, MA 02215 | gorsmond@bu.edu