Information for Parents
What to expect
If you are thinking about volunteering to help with our research, the information below will explain what you and your child can expect.
Our Researchers
All of our researchers are friendly and approachable. They have experience of working with autistic individuals and understand that each child has different abilities and needs. During any research session they will do what they can to accommodate the specific needs that your child may have - you just need to ask.
We try to design all of our tasks so that they are fun and engaging - like a series of games or puzzles. Throughout the session our researchers will check that your child is enjoying the tasks and will offer breaks regularly. If you or your child decide that you would like to stop participating, you can do so at any time, and without giving a reason.
A Typical Research Session
If you decide that you and your child would like to take part in our research, we will invite you to come to the University. The actual activities you and your child will be asked to complete will depend on the specific research project, although the structure of the session will be the same.
We will send you an information sheet about the study before you come so that you can read a little about the activities you will be asked to complete. When you arrive, you will be given this information again and the researcher will explain everything in more detail. We will ask you to sign a consent form which confirms that you have understood the information and agrees that you and your child would like to take part.
We may ask your child to complete some puzzles, computer games, or other hands-on activities. These will be explained to you in advance, and you will have the opportunity to watch. We may also ask you to complete some questionnaires while your child is playing. If you have any questions at any point the researcher will be happy to answer them.
After the activities are finished, the researcher will explain what they were trying to find out, and how the tasks measure different things. We send out reports of our findings at the end of each study.
A child playing a computer game which measures social motivation.
Why participate?
The aim of our research is to better understand different aspects of autism. We want to know how people with autism can be effectively supported in society. By volunteering to take part, you are helping us to achieve this aim.
People who participate often find the experience interesting and rewarding. We are keen to involve the public in our research - explaining how experiments work, what we have found, and how we hope to change things in the future. We also welcome your thoughts, and participation provides an opportunity for you to discuss the research that you think is important. We provide children with a positive, hands-on experience of science, and hope to inspire the next generation of budding scientists.
We will reimburse your travel costs to and from the University and can usually pay a small inconvenience allowance for your time.