Research
The Database of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Living in the North East (Daslne) and The Autism Spectrum Disorder UK database (ASD-UK) aim to:
- Help researchers recruit families to studies about ASD that may lead to advances in the care and treatment of children
- Allow families to take part in research that aims to answer important questions about ASD
- Collect data about children with ASD and their families, allowing researchers to answer important research questions
All projects are required to be approved by the Research Committee. Please follow this link to obtain information about making a research application http://www.asd-uk.com/researchers/
Here are some of the projects that are currently recruiting families of children with ASD:
How do parents and children manage feelings of uncertainty?
Why is the research being done?
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience high levels of anxiety. One of the key elements of this anxiety can be difficulty tolerating uncertainty. This is when a child assumes that an uncertain situation is going to be a negative experience. It is known as intolerance of uncertainty. It can cause a lot of worry and distress for the child and and can be difficult for families too. We are interested in finding out more about anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in parents and their children and how you manage this.
What will the researchers be doing?
The researchers will be asking parents/carers to complete some online questionnaires about how they and their child experience anxiety and feelings of uncertainty. This should take around 30 minutes. There will also be a brief questionnaire for your child to complete should they wish to, but this is not necessary for participation in the study.
How is Daslne/ASD-UK involved?
Daslne/ASD-UK are supporting with recruitment for this study.
Who is funding the research?
The research is funded by Newcastle University as part of the Clinical Psychology Doctorate training programme.
How can I take part?
If you would like to find out more information about the study or if you would like to take part, please go to: http://nclpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Wi9L0SFghk7X9z?Q_CHL=qr
Exploring the relationship between cognitive abilities and academic achievement in children with and without autism
Durham University
ASD-UK is supporting Miss Emily Grew, Dr Debbie Riby and Dr Mary Hanley to recruit children and young people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder aged from 6 to 16 years in the North East of England for this study.
Why is the research being done?
Understanding how to support children to do their best at school is a vital part of education. To discover the best way to do this, the researchers at Durham University would first like to understand the skills and behaviours that are related to academic success. For example, children who have good attention skills may achieve higher grades at school compared to those who have poor attention skills. Previous research has suggested that this may be true for typically developing children, however this relationship is less understood for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
It is known that children with an ASD can experience problems that may impact on their school experience, which may in turn influence how well they do at school. The researchers would like to investigate whether different abilities and behaviours (such as attention, verbal ability, IQ, anxiety, social behaviour, sensory sensitivity) may influence how well children perform at school. They are interested in this relationship for children both with and without an ASD.
What will the researchers be doing?
The study will involve completing five assessments of cognitive ability and academic achievement with each child. The researchers will also ask each child’s parent or guardian to complete four questionnaires relating to the child’s social behaviour, symptoms of anxiety, and their sensory experiences. To take part, children should have a minimum language level of being able to use simple phrases.
Who is funding the research?
The research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of a North East Doctoral Training Centre Studentship Award, awarded to Emily Grew, who is studying for her PhD.
Contact details
For more information about the study, please contact Emily Grew (e.e.grew@durham.ac.uk).
The Think and Do Project: Examining the relationship between executive functions and autism characteristics in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Why is the research being done?
Executive function is a term used to describe a wide range of everyday abilities considered to be necessary for day to day living. It includes skills like being able to plan tasks and activities, pay attention to and remember important information. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often reported to experience executive function difficulties, which can result in having trouble concentrating on chores and schoolwork or getting used to new situations. The research aims to provide information on the specific executive functions which may underlie everyday behaviours and ASD characteristics in children with ASD, and potentially could inform new educational strategies in order to improve quality of life for children with ASD.
• Who are we recruiting?
We are looking for children with ASD, aged between 6 and 16 years old, who don’t have learning disability (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their parents/ carers.
• What will the researchers be doing?
About 30 families will be recruited. The researcher will ask children to complete seven activities, including answering some questions and completing some games on the researcher’s computer. Usually, it takes about 25 minutes to answer the questions, and 35 minutes to complete the games. The researcher will ask parents to complete three questionnaires for about half an hour. These questionnaires will provide information about children’s autism characteristics and their everyday abilities. The researcher will visit families in their home, or children and parents can visit the University.
• How is Daslne/ASD-UK involved?
Daslne/ASD-UK will be involved by approaching families who may be interested in participating in our research project.
• Who is funding the research?
The research is being funded by Newcastle University.
• Contact Details
Researcher: Catherine Wen, y.wen4@ncl.ac.uk
Supervisor: Dr. Jacqui Rodgers, Jacqui.rodgers@ncl.ac.uk, 0191 222 7562
PREDICTORS: Parent Resources for Decreasing the Incidence of Change Triggered Temper Outbursts
School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
Temper outbursts are a common form of challenging behaviour shown by children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders, and associated with negative outcomes. Many of the outbursts are triggered by changes to children's routines or expectations. This project will pilot a caregiver led intervention aiming to reduce such outbursts by signalling changes; testing the feasibility of this approach for evaluation in a clinical trial. Participants will be 50-60 children with an intellectual disability/autism spectrum disorder (7-16 years), and their caregivers. A structured interview and questionnaire will select children who show most frequent temper outbursts following changes (n=35-40; Sample 1). In addition, 10-24 parents and 10-24 professionals who have/are working with children who show challenging behaviour will participate (Sample 2).
Reducing anxiety in young people with ASD through virtual reality
Why is the research being done?
Young people with ASD seem to be particularly at risk of developing anxiety that affects their daily life. This research aims to explore whether using virtual reality (VR) is helpful as part of a psychological treatment process for specific anxiety (for example, about supermarkets or dogs).
Who are we recruiting?
We will recruit young people with autism spectrum disorder/Asperger syndrome, aged 8-14 years old, who have a specific situation or thing that causes them anxiety and could be presented visually on a computer screen.
What will the researchers be doing?
Up to 10 young people with ASD who are verbally fluent will be recruited. They will participate in up to four 20-30 minute sessions at Newcastle University. A large computer screen will be used to deliver virtual images of a situation that makes the young person anxious. These images will be programmed for each child individually, and there will be a gradual increase in the complexity of the scene as the child feels ready. During each of these sessions they will receive coaching from a psychologist in relaxation techniques and coping self- statements, before watching the virtual reality scenario designed for them and their specific anxiety. Parents/caregivers will be able to watch their child during the therapy from an adjacent room.
Prior to the sessions we would visit you twice at home (or you can come to the university if you prefer). The first session would be to explain more about the study and for you and your child to complete two questionnaires. The second visit would allow your child to meet the psychologist they would be working with during the virtual reality sessions. During this second visit, we would also give you and your child some training in relaxation techniques and coping strategies. These could be practised before coming to the University for the virtual reality sessions.
All expenses for travel to the university would be reimbursed and sessions can be organised around family/ work/ school commitments.
How is Daslne involved?
Daslne will be involved by approaching families who may be interested in participating in our research project.
Who is funding the research?
The research is being funded by Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
Contact Details
Dr Morag Maskey, Research Associate: 0191 282 1091 morag.maskey@newcastle.ac.uk
Dr Jeremy Parr, Chief Investigator: 0191 282 5966 jeremy.parr@newcastle.ac.uk
