Autism Spectrum Center | Research & Innovation
The Autism Spectrum Center at Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated to providing the best care for children with ASD and their families. Part of what is so special at Boston Children’s is the cutting edge research being done to try to understand ASD better. If you would be interested in having your child participate in research please see the studies that are currently accepting new participants. Some are studying treatments and others are observing specific things about individuals with ASD. If any of these seems interesting to you and you want to hear more about it please contact the research coordinators. We cannot learn more about autism without you!
Observational/Non-Intervention Studies
Infant Screening Project (ISP)What is this study about? We are studying early development and early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder and language and social communication difficulties. The goal of the study is to map early development and identify infants at risk for developing an Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or language and social communication difficulties.
Who can be in the study? Any infant under three months.
What does study participation involve? The study will consist of five visits to the lab lasting between 3-4 hours. Visits will consist of clinical, behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG/ERP) assessments. Parents will be asked to fill out a variety of questionnaires over the four visits regarding their child’s development.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? ISP@childrens.harvard.edu or call 857-218-3005
What is this study about? The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the outcomes of children who received an early Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis (when they were toddlers or younger). The study is interested in looking at how cognitive, language, social, and behavioral abilities of a kindergartner who received early diagnosis of ASD.
Who can be in the study? Any child between ages 5-7 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a toddler through Boston Children’s Hospital.
What does study participation involve? Participation involves 1-2 research visit(s) that last a total of 4-7 hours which include neuropsychological testing and parent surveys. Participants receive a research report based on all of the testing/surveys, $75 as a token of appreciation for participating, and reimbursement for lunch for the day of their research visit(s).
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? E-mail BOATStudy@childrens.harvard.edu or call (617) 919-6633.
What is this study about? Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are investigating cortical plasticity in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and how this relates to the clinical symptoms, using noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
What does the study involve? Participation involves three visits to Boston Children's Hospital. Subjects will be asked to undergo a neurological exam, neuropsychological assessments, behavioral tasks, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
Who can be in the study? Any individual between ages 6-16 or 21-65 years old who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? E-mail mary.ryan@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-667-0206.
What is this study about? The aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of simulation (in person practice) combined with behavioral strategies to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) prepare for clinical electroencephalography (EEG) studies.
Who can be in the study? Any individual between the ages of 3 and 17 years old who has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder may participate in this study.
What does study participation involve? Each session of this study is approximately 2 hours long and patients may elect to participate in up to 5 simulations prior to their clinical EEG. Pre study and post study anxiety measures of patient’s parent/caregiver, in addition to behavioral measures of the child, will be obtained on the date(s) of the EEG simulation and the clinical EEG. Those who participate in the study will receive a $25 gift card for their participation, as well as a Boston Children’s Hospital parking voucher and a toy to bring home.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? If you are interested in learning more about this study please email Kristin Coffey at kristin.coffey@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-6390.
What is this study about? Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and UMass-Boston are seeking adults on the autism spectrum to help develop a dating and sexuality training program.
This research study will examine what factors (if any) impact the ability of adults on the autism spectrum to gain and use knowledge about dating and sexual relationships. The goal is to work together with adults on the spectrum to develop a new knowledge- and skills-based training program to meet their specific sexual health and dating needs. It is important to learn from adults on the spectrum about what kinds of information and skills are most important and how to best measure change in dating and sexual outcomes.
Who can be in the study? Verbal adults on the autism spectrum, ages 18-26.
What does study participation involve? Participation will include one phone call and two in person visits. During the study, researchers will collect information about dating and romance, sexuality, and training preferences. A close relation will be asked to respond to a brief questionnaire and there is an optional part of the study for parents or caregivers. All participants will receive a small payment for participating and free parking. In addition, feedback about some testing will be provided.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? E-mail projectCRUSH@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-4108.
What is this study about? The purpose of this research study is to investigate the genetic causes of disorders of human brain development, including familial autism. We wish to determine and understand which genes are important for brain development and hope that the knowledge we gain will lead to improved diagnosis, management and treatment of autism and related conditions.
Who can be in the study? Families with 2 or more siblings/children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (any age and gender).
What does study participation involve? Involvement in this research study includes the time needed to request and send relevant medical records for review, time for discussion of research and consent form (up to 1 hour in person or by phone) and time for blood sample collection. Traveling to Boston Children’s Hospital is not required if sample collection can be arranged closer to home.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about the study? Email: walshresearch@childrens.harvard.edu Website: http://www.walshlab.org Phone: 617-919-2865
What is this study about? SPARK is an online study with a simple mission: to speed up research and advance the understanding of autism. By increasing the number of research participants, SPARK aims to help facilitate research that has not yet been possible.
Who can be in this study? Any individual diagnosed with autism as well as their biological family members.
What does study participation involve? Registration takes about 20-30 minutes. As part of your participation in SPARK, we ask that you register and complete a few questionnaires online, and provide a DNA sample using a saliva collection kit that will be shipped directly to your home.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? Visit our website for more information and registration at www.SPARKforAutism.org/BCH or contact SPARK@childrens.harvard.edu and 617-355-8300.
What is this study about? BioMarin, in collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital, is looking for biomarkers within the plasma of patients diagnosed with ASD and no underlying genetic variation, in the hopes of identifying patterns that can better diagnose patients with suspected ASD and/or Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) disorders.
Who can be in this study? Individuals 2 to 16 years old that have been diagnosed with ASD
What does study participation involve?Participation in the study involves discussion with a coordinator and providing consent for participation in the study. Participants then provide a blood sample. This study is a one-time collection.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? For more information, contact at 617-919-2773 or NeuroCore@childrens.harvard.edu
What is this study about? The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how differences in brain activity affect learning, language, and behavior in children with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Currently there is no effective treatment for FXS. Our goal is to find brain markers that predict cognitive, language, and behavioral difficulties in young boys with FXS, and to better understand differences in brain activity between children with and without FXS.
Who can be in this study? Boys 32-72 months old that have been diagnosed with Fragile X or are typically developing.
What does study participation involve? This study involves a single 3-4 hour long visit to the lab. The visit includes clinical and behavioral assessments that will evaluate your child's thinking, motor skills, language skills, and social communication. We will also measure your child's brain activity using EEG. EEG is a safe, comfortable, and radiation free way to measure brain activity in response to different sounds and pictures. All families will receive a written report with information about their child's current developmental level. We provide free parking, childcare for siblings during visits, and a small payment for participating.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? For more information, contact at 617-355-4373 or FragileXNeuralMarkers@childrens.harvard.edu
What is this study about? The Faja Lab is seeking 2-year-olds and 4-year-olds to participate in a research study. We are seeking:
- Children who have been diagnosed with, or are suspected to have, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Children who have developmental delays
- Children with typical development
The aim of the project is to better understand the development of executive control-how children manage complex or conflicting information while working towards a goal. This skill has been linked to social and academic functioning and is often reduced in children with ASD. We hope the study will provide valuable information that will lead to improved interventions for young children with ASD and developmental delays and better prepare them for the demands of school.
Who can be in this study?
- 2-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (or concerns about autism), developmental delays, or no developmental concerns
- 4-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (or concerns about autism), developmental delays, or no developmental concerns.
What does study participation involve? Participation will include visits over three years in order to track development. Each year will include:
- 3 visits to Boston Children's Hospital with activities to evaluate each child's developmental level, language and social functioning, and interaction style. Visits will also include a series of games to assess each child's problem solving skills.
- An EEG, which is a non-invasive recording of brain activity.
- Completion of questionnaires.
The first year will also include two phone calls to determine if the study is a good fit and collect some preliminary information about each child.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? Please email ideastudy@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-4108.
Treatment Studies
What is this study about? The purpose of this study is to look at the safety and effectiveness of a new medication that may help with social interaction, communication, and performance of daily activities for children and adolescents with ASD.
Who can be in this study? Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intellectual functioning in the average range (IQ >70).
What does study participation involve? This study lasts for 39 weeks per participant, and requires 7 office visits and 9 home visits by a study nurse. Participants will receive either the study medicine or an inactive placebo (pill that contain no medicine). Parents/caregivers will be asked questions about the participant's medical history and behaviors. Participation also includes physical and neurological exams, behavioral and cognitive testing, and blood/urine tests.
All families will receive a written report with information about their child's current developmental level, free parking, childcare for siblings during visits, and a small payment for participating. For children with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay, families will also receive recommendations about how to access intervention services.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact: Kate Pawlowski at 857-218-5472 or katherine.pawlowski@childrens.harvard.edu
ASD-Related Studies
Neural Markers of Fragile X SyndromeWhat is this study about? The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how differences in brain activity affect learning, language, and behavior in children with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Currently there is no effective treatment for FXS. Our goal is to find brain markers that predict cognitive, language, and behavioral difficulties in young children with FXS, and to better understand differences in brain activity between children with and without FXS.
Who can be in this study? Boys or girls 32-84 months old that have been diagnosed with Fragile X or are typically developing.
What does study participation involve? This study involves a single 3-4 hour long visit to the lab. The visit includes clinical and behavioral assessments that will evaluate your child's thinking, motor skills, language skills, and social communication. We will also measure your child's brain activity using EEG. EEG is a safe, comfortable, and radiation free way to measure brain activity in response to different sounds and pictures. All families will receive a written report with information about their child's current developmental level. We provide free parking, childcare for siblings during visits, and a small payment for participating. Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study?
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact: FXSNeuralMarkers@childrens.harvard.edu or 617-355-4373.
What is this study about? This study aims to see how a play based intervention known as JASPER effects the developmental trajectories of children with Down Syndrome.
Who can be in this study? Children who are 3-4 years old and have a diagnosis of Down Syndrome.
What does study participation involve? Participation involves many in person visits (~14 visits in total). These visits include the 12 weeks of 1 hour intervention sessions as well as 3 assessment visits that include an EEG as well as cognitive and behavioral assessments.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact: lcnclinicalstudies@childrens.harvard.edu or 857-218-3010.
What is this study about? Looking at the efficacy of a play based behavioral intervention (JASPER) on developmental outcomes/trajectories in children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC).
Who can be in this study? Children aged 1-3 who have a diagnosis of TSC1 or TSC2.
What does study participation involve? Participation involves 6-7 in person visits. Visits include intervention sessions, research EEGs, and cognitive and behavioral assessments.
Who do I contact if I am interested in hearing more about this study? If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact: TSCJASPER@childrens.harvard.edu or 857-218-3010.
