Participate in a Research Study

The research projects below have been approved by the Aspect Research Approvals Committee to advertise for participants through Aspect. If you are interested in taking part in any of these studies and would like to learn more, please follow the links shown in each advertisement.

Please note that these projects do not form part of the Aspect research program. Any enquiries or concerns should therefore be directed to the institutions responsible for conducting the research.


	Study of successful ageing in intellectual disability A/Prof. Julian Trollor, of the University of New South Wales, invites families and service providers to register their interest in this study. People can be in the study if they: Have intellectual disability (we are studying all levels of intellectual disability) Are over the age of 40 You have someone you trust who can help to answer questions Live in one of the following areas: Waverley, Woollahra, City of Sydney, Leichardt, Ashfield, Burwood, Strathfield, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Marrickville, Hurstville, Rockdale, Kogarah, Botany Bay, Randwick, Sutherland, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Camden, Bankstown or anywhere in Illawarra or Shoalhaven area. For more information please contact: Beth Turner, ph: 9385 3994, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


	"How do you feel about your social life?" Researchers at the University of Sydney are conducting a project to understand the 'everyday social experience of young adults with autism spectrum disorders.' What we want to know? • What does your everyday social life look like? • Do you wish it were different? Who? • 16 - 35 years of age • Have a diagnosis of high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome • Speak English at home What? • You will need to carry an iPod Touch/iPhone, which will signal you to respond to a short questionnaire 7 times each day for a week. If you answer the short questionnaire 35 times or more, you will receive a Coles Group & Myers gift voucher. Contact Mr Ryan Chen on 9351 9798 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Prof Anita Bundy on 9351 9857 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Fun “Space-Rocket” study for children with ASD Kids get to go in a “space rocket”, watch a movie of their choice, play some games - and get paid $40! Who Children in Sydney with Autism Spectrum Disorders (including Aspergers, PDD-NOS, Nonverbal), aged 6 - 13 Our Study We want to understand how children with ASD process subtle changes in sounds, and how this relates to their language skills. This will help further our understanding of the neural causes of Autism and help with future diagnoses, therapy and intervention research. What? 1 – 2 sessions with us at the Brain Lab : Session 1 : MEG recording (aka 'Space-rocket'). MEG is a very safe and quiet brain imaging method. Child will lie in the 'space-rocket' for 40minutes while watching a silent DVD of their choice. Session 2 : Language and behavioural tests and games in our playroom. We pay $40 and provide parking. You will also receive a full report of your child's language abilities, which you may share with your child's clinician, therapist, school teachers etc. Feel free to email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or ring 02 9850 1582 if you'd like more information

	Seeking male teenagers with Asperger's Syndrome or High Functioning Autism Researchers at the University of Wollongong are looking for adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) or High Functioning Autism (HFA), and their families, to participate in a study aiming to understand the experiences of living on the autism spectrum during adolescence. What is involved? discussing your positive and negative experiences during adolescence completing a sorting task with the researcher providing feedback about being involved in the study completing around 6 interview sessions, lasting approximately 45-60 minutes each, over the next 18 months Who can be involved? families who live in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven area families who have a family member with AS or HFA who is male and in year 7-10 at a mainstream school families with an older sibling without a formal diagnosis on the autism spectrum who lives at home Please contact Elizabeth Cridland via email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 02 4221 3693

	Experiences of grandfathers of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder Hannah Rees from Charles Sturt Univeristy is investigating the experiences of grandfathers with grandchildren who have an autism spectrum disorder. It is important for health workers and educators to understand the roles grandparents play, particularly with grandparents taking on a greater role in therapy and other activities. Who can participate? Grandfathers who have a grandchild with an autism spectrum disorder Grandfathers living in the Riverina region of NSW Grandfathers who have regular contact with their grandchild How? Participation involves an interview. To find out more or to arrange an interview please contact: Hannah Rees This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Libby Clark 02 6051 9205 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Brain mechanisms of language in autism spectrum disorders Dr Jon Brock at the Department of Cognitive Science at Macquarie is looking for young adults on the autism spectrum for a study investigating how the brain processes language. Who can participate? To take part you must be between 16 and 40 years old, live in the Sydney area, and have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder. English must also be your first language. If you have epilepsy, use a cardiac pacemaker, or have metal rods, plates or screws in your body, please do no volunteer for this study. What is involved? The study is in three parts. 1) A technique known as MEG to measure the magnetic fields produced by the brain during language processing. This is a safe and silent procedure. The recording session lasts about an hour. Researchers will would ask you to lie very still, listen to some sentences presented through the earphones, and name some pictures displayed on a screen. 2) Researchers also need to get an MRI scan of your brain to help us work out which areas are responding during the task. This would take either on the same day as the MEG recording or at another time that is convenient. The scan takes about 15 minutes. During this time you simply have to lie still in the scanner. MRI is a safe technique which uses short wave radio and magnetic field pulses to obtain a 3-D picture of your brain. It can be noisy but if you are feeling any form of distress, we will stop testing immediately. 3) Finally, you will be asked to complete some tests of language and social skills. These would take around two hours to complete, either at the time you visit for MEG and MRI scans or on a different day. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Dr Jon Brock by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 02 9850 6869.

	The early detection of autism spectrum disorder using the Autistic Behavioural Indicators Instrument (ABII) Samantha Ward is conducting a research project at QUT to establish the utility of an autism specific parent questionnaire (Autistic Behavioural Indicators Instrument – Parent Questionnaire ABII-PQ) in detecting young children with either typical development or a diagnosis of autism. Who can participate? Parents with children agred between 2 and 12 years whose children either have 1) typical development 2) a diagnosis of autism or 3) concerns about their child's development. What is involved? Participation involves a five minutes questionnaire. Please click here for further information or to complete the questionnaire.

	Do you care what others think and feel? Do you care, but have difficultly understanding? Researchers at the University of NSW are conducting a study looking at empathy and social motivation in autism spectrum disorders. Who can participate? People aged 16 years and over with a diagnosis of either high functioning autism or Asperger's disorder. What is invoved? You will be required to view short video clips and pictures about various social and emotional situations and play an online interactive game. While doing this, you will need to wear small electrodes on your face and hands. You will also need to complete questionnaires. All participants will receive $30 for taking part. For more information contact Emily Trimmer, 02 9385 3590 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Language acquisition: focus on pronouns Researchers at Macquarie University are looking for children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to participate in a study investigating how children interpret pronouns (e.g. he, she). Aim To understand how grammatical knowledge mediating comprehension of pronounds in children with ASD. Who? 5 - 12 year olds Children who speak english at home What? Your child watches short stories acted out with toys and small props. At the end of the story, a puppet says what happened in the story, and your child tells us if the puppet got it right or not. For example, we might have a story about Spiderman and his friend who get dirty while on an adventure. The friend does not help Spiderman get washed, so Spiderman washes himself. Then the puppet might say “In that story, he washed Spiderman”. In this case, children will say the puppet is wrong if they know that ‘he’ refers to the friend and cannot refer to Spiderman. The stories are videotaped and shown on a laptop computer. The study takes about approximately 50 minutes. During this time children watch the video and complete two standardised tests. Parents also fill out a brief questionnaire. All participants receive a $20 Coles/Myers gift card. The children receive colourful stickers. The study takes place at the Australian Hearing Hub on campus. Parking is convenient and free. Contact Neha Khetrapal on 0466459970 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or A/Prof Rosalind Thornton This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Can you hear me? People with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant problems in communicating their inner experiences. This makes it difficult for service providers to understand the worlds of these individuals and provide responsive services. Aim This online survey aims to learn the degree to which students with ASD can experience and be aware of their own mental states, and understand them in others. Who? Parents and teachers of students with ASD. What? The views of parents and teachers are invaluable as they come from your own lived experience. For parents click here. For teachers click here. Completion will take approximately 25 minutes. Neither you nor your child/student will be identified at any stage. Please do not write your name or your child’s/ student's name on this survey, however, to reflect your child’s/student's individuality, please keep him/her in mind while answering the questions. Completion of the survey means that you agree the researchers may use your results as part of their project.With completion of the questionnaires, you can enter into a draw for prizes of x4 $50 Coles vouchers, as a token of appreciation. Find out more. Contact Please contact the chief investigator, Dr Yoon-Suk Hwang, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

	Speech development of children with an ASD Researchers at the Univeristy of Study are conducting a longitudinal study evaluating the speech development of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Who? Children aged 2-6 years who have been diagnosed with an ASD in the past 12 months Children who are not yet attending formal full-time schooling Children who are producing some verbal sounds or words to communicate Children with English as their primary language and the primary language of at least one parent What is involved? Children will be assessed at the University of Sydney or in their own homes Assessments will take 2 hours Speech and language assessments will be completed Assessments will be done initially and then following 3, 6, 9, and 12 months A detailed assessment report will be provided free of charge Contact If you would like more information regarding this study please contact: Kate Broome - Speech Pathologist This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 0420 757 458 Dr Tricia McCabe - Speech Pathologist This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 02 9351 9747

	Assisting parents of children with autism to make intervention decisions This study aims to test the effectiveness of a decision aid designed to help parents choose autism interventions for their child. The decision aid is an interactive website which contains information about autism and autism treatment options. Who? Must be a parent/ guardian of a child under the age of seven years Child must have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder within the past 12 months (and is eligible for HCWA funding). Must live in Australia. What? If you are randomly allocated to Group A, you will be given access to the decision aid we have developed right away. You will be asked to review the information on this website as many times as you like in the next three (3) months. If you do not have Internet access, the information will be posted to you in hard copy. Participants randomly allocated to Group B, will be asked to record their decision-making processes and the sources of information (such as the Internet) that have been accessed to find out about autism interventions during the three (3) month trial period. After completion of the trial, participants in Group B will also be offered access to the decision aid via the web or in hard copy. Contact Please contact Nicole on 0417 879 461 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Interoception and body awareness in adults with and without autism spectrum disorders Who? If you are over 18 and have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, autistic disorder or PDD-NOS, University of Southern Queensland would like to invite you to take part in a research project, which is an online self-report questionnaire. It should only take you about 10-15 minutes to complete. What? The purpose of the research is to better understand how adults with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) perceive and interpret internal bodily sensations - feelings that include hunger, thirst and temperature. Your participation in this research will valuably contribute towards a better understanding of this area, and may help provide better outcomes for people with ASDs. Also undertaking this survey may benefit you in gaining a deeper understanding about body awareness, and how this is one of the 'other' senses in our bodies. How? Click on the following link. https://psych.sci.usq.edu.au/ols/?p=IBA2013 Contact Lisa Fiene, Psychology Department, University of Southern Queensland M 0409 905 264 E This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

	Personality traits, decision making and risky behaviour You are invited to take part in a research project involving completing an anonymous online survey, which examines whether certain personality and other characteristics are related to the way individuals decide what is right and wrong and whether they engage in behaviours that have the potential to result in legal consequences. In particular, we are interested in whether certain traits that may be associated with autism spectrum disorder are related to differences in moral decision making and whether these differences may place some people at risk of offending. We anticipate that the findings of the study will inform programs to assist individuals who may be at risk of offending. The survey will take up to 45 minutes to complete. If you are interested in participating in this research, please click here.

	Understanding empathic responses in children with autism Dr Sander Begeer from the University of Sydney is conducting a study to understand why children with autism find it difficult to respond to the emotions of others with empathy. What? Children’s behavioural and physiological responses to a series of everyday positive and negative emotional situations will be observed. The whole study will take approximately 90 minutes. Who? Dr Sandra Begeer is currently recruiting children with an autism spectrum diagnosis between the ages of 5 and 9 years who have normal or high IQ (high-functioning). Contact For more information please contact: Elian, ph: 9351 3493, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it