Research Interest Form

Want to get involved in our research?

We need YOUR help in learning more about language, social perception, and developmental disorders such as autism and Williams syndrome. We are currently enrolling people from the New England area of all ages, both typically developing individuals and people who have been diagnosed with one of the disorders we study, for several different ongoing research studies. Just give us a little bit of information about yourself, let us know which studies sound most interesting to you, and we'll contact you to find out whether you're eligible for our research. Our participants usually find our study tasks easy and enjoyable, and for most studies, we'll give you a thank-you gift for your participation.

  • Participant Information

  • PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION

  • DEVELOPMENTAL DIAGNOSIS

  • PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

    Please contact me about any study for which I would be eligible as a typically developing participant. We test typically developing children, adolescents, and adults in each of our studies so that we can compare their scores with those of people with developmental disorders. Typically developing participants are very important to our research!
    Children aged 5-17 and young adults aged 18-21, with an autism spectrum disorder and limited language ability. This study attempts to develop innovative methods of teaching new words and novel ways of finding out what individuals with limited verbal skills understand
    For English speaking children aged 6-13 with or without an autism spectrum disorder and/or language difficulty: This collaborative study between Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) looks at language, reading and cognitive abilities during childhood. It is our hope to advance scientific understanding of the typical and atypical development of language and reading.
    For children (aged 4-12) with or without a diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder, with bilateral deafness and at least one deaf parent: This study aims to investigate the effects of autism on sign language acquisition in order to help better our understanding as to how autism impacts cognition in both deaf and hearing children. Research is always minimal risk, non-invasive and entails normal educational testing methods.
    Infants aged 0-6 months who have an older sibling with an autism spectrum disorder. This study looks at the development of the infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders to identify early risk markers for autism or language delay.
    Check here and one of our research coordinators will contact you to help decide which study fits your profile best.