Research Opportunities
Updated on September 22, 2024​
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Consider signing up to participate in research. Think of all the families before you who participated in research, so your child could have quality therapy and programs.
Would you like to post a research opportunity? If you would like to post a Research Opportunity on this website or on our MMAA Facebook page, please reach out to our Treasurer at blatsie63@yahoo.com and request a Research Opportunity form. We try and keep this page current, but if you find an error, please let us know! Thanks so much!
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Project Name: Family Well-Being and Music Engagement During COVID-19 (Updated 6/30/20)
Participant Criteria: Parents of Children with ASD aged 6 months to 5 years of age
Dates: Current
Project Description:
Participants complete a secure online survey about family well-being and parent-child music engagement during COVID-19. Participation will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete.
Participants receive access to online children’s music activities and can enter a lottery to win (1/30 chance) a $25 Amazon gift card for their participation. Participants who previously completed the survey can complete the survey again during this time of COVID-19.
Access the survey at https://is.gd/MusicChildrenFamilies
PI/Credentials: Miriam Lense, PhD
Contact Information: 615-873-0852; SocialMusicResearch@vumc.org
Cost/Honorarium: Upon completion of the survey, participants can enter a lottery to win (1/30 chance) a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card.
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Project Name: Objective and Subjective Stress Responses of Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Project Description: We are looking for college students with autism or ASD and are 18-26 years old. Participants will undergo an online stress stimulation via Zoom. The study lasts 35 minutes but the stimulation lasts only 5 minutes. Participants will wear one of our heart rate devices during the stimulation. Afterwards, participants will be asked to participate in a 30-45 mins interview about their experience and how they handle stress generally. Participants will also be given survey questionnaires about themselves. We will analyze data from the heart rate device and their stress perception.
Risks and Benefits (to families or scientific community): The risks and how we mitigate these risks are as follows: Increased heart rate (we encourage you to do your best during the stimulation), uncomfortable feeling being on Zoom (we encourage you to look into your computer camera and it’s okay if you don’t), germs and viruses (our heart rate devices are sanitized before your use and you are given sanitary wipes to use for your heat rate device), fatigue (you can pause when taking the survey questions and an optional break between stress stimulation and interview), uncomfortable feeling answering some questions (we encourage you to do your best), and confidentiality and privacy (all data collected are stored in MSU’s encrypted OneDrive system and in a password protected laptop). Despite these risks, a benefit from this study includes getting to know yourself, how you process and understand stressful situations, and other personal characteristics you may not yet know of.
Name of PI, researchers, and administrative contacts (with credentials): PI: Dr. Gloria Lee, PhD in Rehabilitation Psychology and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Co-PI: Jarhed Peña, MRC, LLPC, CRC, master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Study Team Members: Michael Yeomans, MA, CRC, master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and Certified Rehabilitation, and Caitlin Johnson, undergraduate student at MSU pursuing psychology.
IRB or Ethics Review Approval: STUDY00006138, approved by Michigan State University’s Biomedical and Health Institutional Review Board. Approval Date: 6/29/2021, no expiration date.
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Name of research project: The Early Hearing Study at MSU
Simple explanation of project (including age of participants): The Early Hearing Study is a Michigan State University research study about how young babies respond to sound. We are interested in seeing babies who have a sibling diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition (such as Autism or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder).
If you and your baby would like to join us, your participation would involve a one-time visit with a licensed audiologist at the Hearing Health Center (Sparrow Professional Building) in Lansing, MI, when you baby is 3-4 weeks old. Your baby will listen to snap or click sounds, and we will ask you to complete some brief questionnaires.
You and your baby may be eligible to participate if you are: 1)18 years or older, 2) have a child diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder), and 3) recently gave birth (1-3 weeks ago) or are expecting soon.
Risks and Benefits (to families or scientific community): The risks to this study are minimal and participants will not directly benefit from participating in this study. However, your participation in this study may help us better understand how young babies use their ears and brains to respond to sounds in their environment.
Name of PI, researchers, and administrative contacts (with credentials): PI Nicole Talge, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Research Director Melanie Adkins, MPH
IRB or Ethics Review Approval: Approved by Michigan State University Intuitional Review Board, Study ID LEGACY 15-669M
Contact Information (Phone, Email, Website): For questions or more information about The Early Hearing Study at MSU, please email ehs@epi.msu.edu, call 517-884-2098, or complete a secure contact form https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cOwBQdMTbgsHTCJ
You can also visit the MSU Neurodevelopment and Health Research Group at www.facebook.com/MSUNeurodevHealth/
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Name of research project: Meanings of Autism & Work (added 2/23/2023)
Simple explanation of project (including age of participants): _ We are looking for participants to take part in a study about autism and employment. We are recruiting autistic people (with or without a diagnosis) ages 14 and older, as well as professionals and advocates who work in the area of autism and employment. All participants will have the opportunity to participate in an interview. Autistic people will also have the opportunity to take photos about work and invite a researcher to “shadow” them at their job. The lead researcher is Ariel Cascio, Ph.D., Central Michigan University College of Medicine. To take part or ask questions, to take part or ask questions, contact 989-774-1502 or cascio-research@cmich.edu.
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Risks and Benefits (to families or scientific community): _Interviews pose no risk greater than the risk of
everyday life. Shadowing may pose a risk that people at work will know that you are autistic if they see us shadowing you. We will not tell them if you do not want us to, but they might guess. If you do not want people at work to know that you are autistic, you should say no to shadowing. There are no direct benefits to you if you take part in this study. The results of this study may benefit society by helping people know more about the daily lives of autistic people at work and in job searches.
Name of PI, researchers, and administrative contacts (with credentials):_ Ariel Cascio, Ph.D. (PI), Jun Hwan Kim, Brandon Snel, Aashima Sarin (medical students), Jacob Krehbiel (autistic community research assistant), Central Michigan University Institutional Review Board (IRB administrative)
IRB or Ethics Review Approval: IRB #2022-1323, approved by Central Michigan University
Contact Information (Phone, Email, Website) _cascio-research@cmich.edu (email or text), 989-774-1502 (calls only)
Dates of opportunity? _February 2023-June 2024
Cost or honorarium? _No cost. Participants will receive a $25 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Meijer, or Target for each interview. There is no gift card for shadowing.
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Lingo Lab: Please see this link for more information: Lingo Lab | Michigan State University (msu.edu)
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P.O. Box 27462 Lansing MI 48909