The results of the research may increase our understanding of language processing children with ASD. This may help us to design and implement targeted treatments for these children. Additionally, EEG can be used to study participants who are minimally verbal, so our research opens the door to children who are often excluded from research studies.
What are the goals of the study?
The purpose of this research is to better understand language impairment in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), using a noninvasive technology called electroencephalography (EEG). By presenting your child with a variety of pictures, words and sounds while recording his/her brain waves through EEG, we can begin to understand why some children with ASD have significant language impairment. Ultimately, this may help us design and evaluate more effective treatments and to better predict developmental outcomes.
What will happen during the visit or online?
You and your child will come into the research lab in person. You will complete questionnaires about your child’s developmental history and skills. Your child will complete standardized assessments evaluating ASD symptoms, cognition and language ability. The assessments will take approximately 2-3 hours. While wearing an EEG net, they will watch pictures and words on a computer monitor and listen to words and sounds. The EEG net is quick to put on and feels like wearing a swim cap. The EEG recording will last ~20-30 minutes. All activities can be completed in one day, or split up over two days.
How will this help families?
This study will not benefit participants directly, however, results of this study may help provide insight into ASD and may benefit children and their families in the future. Furthermore, by participating in this study, parents/guardians will receive results from standardized assessments of their child that can be shared/discussed with their healthcare professionals.