The Autism Research Centre Needs Your Help! | Autism Society of Edmonton Area

The Autism Research Centre at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton is always looking for individuals with ASDs and their families to participate in autism research studies. By participating, you will be helping to create a brighter future for individuals with autism.

For complete descriptions of all the studies and information on how to participate, please click here to download the brochure (Adobe PDF format).

NEW - Understanding "Figures of Speech" in Children with Communication Disorders

Dr. Joanne Volden is examining communication skills in children with ASD. We need children with ASD who are 6, 9 or 12 years old. Children with autism frequently have difficulty understanding figurative language, like “skating on thin ice”, but we don’t know exactly why. This study examines how understanding figurative language develops in children with ASD. We also want to know what factors make figurative language easier to understand.

NEW - Examining the Experiences of Mothers and Fathers of a Young Person with Autism

Dr. David Nicholas and Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum are examining the shifting experiences of parents of a child with autism (up to age 25 years) and their families over the journey of ongoing care provision, development of the young person with autism, and changing resource needs. The study also examines how parents – both individually and together as a couple or co-parents – navigate care for their child.

Pathways in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Pathways is a national study that examines how newly diagnosed preschool children with autism grow and develop. We hope to identify factors associated with the best possible outcome in order to help individuals and families affected by

ASD. Our team collaborates with the Autism Follow-Up Clinic to recruit families into the study.

Infant Sibling Study

Siblings of children with ASD are at an increased risk of developing ASD, as well as other difficulties such as language delay. The Infant Sibling study follows high-risk infant siblings and low-risk infants with no family history of ASD in order to better understand early development in ASD. Our goal is to develop better strategies for early detection and diagnosis as well as early intervention, to give children

with ASD the best possible chance at reaching their full potential.

Genetics Study

The Autism Research Centre is part of a Canadian Autism Research Genetics team (CAN-A-GEN) aiming to discover genes that cause or contribute to the risk of ASD. Identifying genes linked to autism may have important implications for diagnosis and intervention. The families involved in the Genetics study have enjoyed the opportunity to be part of such a large scale research effort to learn more about the

genetics underlying ASD, and have also appreciated the assessment reports that they receive from the study team.

Mathematical Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Carley Piatt, along with Dr. Jeffrey Bisanz and Dr. Joanne Volden of the University of Alberta, is studying how children with ASD learn math skills such as counting and arithmetic. Currently, we know very little about how children with ASD learn math. By learning more about the development of math skills in children with ASD, we may be able to find ways to help them learn better.

Connecting the Dots Study

Dr. Sandra Hodgetts, in collaboration with Dr. David Nicholas and Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, is examining the processes and experiences of families and service providers negotiating care for young persons with autism in Alberta. This project aims to identify the demands experienced by families of young persons with autism, determine how parents and young persons with autism navigate the health,

education and social service systems, and how families manage change in service systems over time.