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 are interested in having your child participate in research please see the studies below that are currently accepting new participants. Some are studying treatments and others are observing specific things about individuals with ASD. If any of these seem interesting to you and you want to hear more about it please contact the research coordinators listed under the study description. We need your help to learn about autism!
Observational/non-interventional studies
BRIDGE Study (BRain Indicators of Developmental Growth)What is the study about? This study is investigating how differences in brain activity affect learning, language and behavior in children with Fragile X Syndrome, Down syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Down syndrome is the most common cause of intellectual disability, while Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability. In addition to cognitive and learning difficulties, children with Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome often struggle with language delays. Many of these challenges overlap with Autism Spectrum Disorder. One of our goals is to find brain markers that predict cognitive, language, and behavioral difficulties in these groups. Another goal of ours is to better understand the differences in brain activity between young children with and without Fragile X and Down Syndrome, and whether these differences are similar in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Who can be in the study? Boys aged 24-66 months that have been diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Additionally, we are recruiting both boys and girls aged 24-66 months with Down syndrome (DS) or who are typically developing (TD).
What does study participation involve? This study involves two visits to the lab, spaced one year apart. Each visit will take 2-4 hours. The visits include 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 the study? E-mail BRIDGEstudy@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-6619.
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. Study participation can occur virtually or in person.
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? 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? 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
There are no treatment studies recruiting at this time. Please check back later!
ASD-related studies
BRIDGE Study (BRain Indicators of Developmental Growth)What is the study about? This study is investigating how differences in brain activity affect learning, language and behavior in children with Fragile X Syndrome, Down syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Down syndrome is the most common cause of intellectual disability, while Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability. In addition to cognitive and learning difficulties, children with Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome often struggle with language delays. Many of these challenges overlap with Autism Spectrum Disorder. One of our goals is to find brain markers that predict cognitive, language, and behavioral difficulties in these groups. Another goal of ours is to better understand the differences in brain activity between young children with and without Fragile X and Down Syndrome, and whether these differences are similar in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Who can be in the study? Boys aged 24-66 months that have been diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Additionally, we are recruiting both boys and girls aged 24-66 months with Down syndrome (DS) or who are typically developing (TD).
What does study participation involve? This study involves two visits to the lab, spaced one year apart. Each visit will take 2-4 hours. The visits include 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 the study? E-mail BRIDGEstudy@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-6619.
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 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.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact: FXSNeuralMarkers@childrens.harvard.edu or 617-919-6619.
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.
Are you interested in learning about new studies for which your child(ren) may be eligible?
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