What are the goals of the study?
The purpose of this research study is to examine relationships between brain and behavior development in toddlers with and without autism who have older siblings.
What will happen during the visit or online?
Your participation would involve you coming to the Center for Autism Research at CHOP in Philadelphia with your toddler.
There are four parts involved in your participation:
- A remote video call interview with you and our study’s clinical psychologist.
- Online questionnaires which you will complete on your own time on any internet device.
- A behavioral evaluation of your toddler. For this part, you will first visit the Center for Autism Research with just you and your toddler. After this behavior evaluation, we will schedule a follow-up video call with you, where the psychologist will inform you about the testing results.
- If your child meets our criteria, we will ask you to return for an MRI scan of your toddler’s brain while they sleep.
You will be compensated for your time and effort dedicated to the study and you will be reimbursed for your travel expenses to CHOP.
How will this help families?
A focus on the earliest signs of autism is critical for families, so that children can access services and supports as early as possible. CAR researchers are using neuroimaging methods to identify brain signatures in children starting from 6 months of age onward that might be associated with autism in children with and without a family history of autism.