Enroll in a CAR Study

We are looking for children and teens ages 6-16 to test out a video game designed to improve eye contact in children with autism spectrum disorder. During study visits participants will measure heart rate, brain activity and wear eye tracking glasses while playing the video game. Parents will be asked to complete questionnaires about their child. Participants will be compensated for their time.

We are seeking children between 8-12 years old with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD)  to participate in a single-visit study that uses wearable activity trackers to help children recognize signs of emotional stress in the body.  The goal of this research study is to improve how we measure emotional stress on the body. Families will be compensated for their participation.

SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge) is a national autism research initiative open to individuals of all ages with a professional diagnosis of ASD living in the United States. ASD includes Asperger syndrome, autism/autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Participants are welcome to invite biological parents and full biological siblings (with and without ASD) to participate as well.

To learn more about SPARK and register online, visit www.SPARKforAutism.org/CHOP

We are seeking adults 18+, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, to participate in a one hour in-person interview. Family members who have helped to support an adult with autism spectrum disorder with mental health care may also participate in the interview. The goal of this study is to identify ways to improve the quality of care for adults with ASD and co-occurring diagnoses in community mental health settings.

autismMatch is an online registry that can quickly and easily connect interested individuals and families with research opportunities to advance scientists' understanding of ASD and related disorders, such as ADHD, anxiety, 22q deletion syndrome, and others.

Enroll here to be matched with studies tailored to your profile, and help researchers to understand the causes, characteristics, effective interventions, and access to support services for ASD and related disorders.

The purpose of this study is to identify molecules in the blood and/or urine that differentiate children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from children with delayed development (DD) and/or typical development (TD). These results may be used to develop a diagnostic decision tool in the future and will help researchers better understand genetic and metabolic conditions that affect some people with ASD. Potential subjects will be asked to give a sample of blood and urine (if able), and their parents will be asked to complete some questionnaires about medical history, development, and behavior. Participants will also be evaluated by an autism specialist and complete developmental and behavioral assessments during their clinical evaluation.

The goal of this research study is to better understand differences in the way children with autism move their bodies and faces compared to children who are developing typically.  Children who are diagnosed with ASD or who are typically developing are invited to participate in this study, which will include a visit to CAR to complete simple social skills tasks, motor behavior and language tasks as well as an IQ test. Participants will be compensated for their time and effort and will receive a brief report of their behavioral and IQ tests results. For more information: CARmotorlab@email.chop.edu | 267-425-1192

The goal of this study is to understand how brain processes change during child development. Infants between the ages of 6 to 12 months are eligible for a non-invasive brain imaging study specially developed for infants and toddlers to understand how brain processes change during child development. We will eventually use this information to better understand brain processes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

We are seeking parents, teachers & therapists familiar with ASD to help us prepare for an imaging study for minimally & nonverbal children. In the past, these children have been excluded from brain imaging studies. We would like to change this by using magnetoenchephalography (MEG) technology. We would like to interview parents, therapists, and teachers to help us design future MEG studies for children with ASD.

This research study will observe young children to learn more about the differences in social cognition and brain function that may be present in ASD.  We will use newly developed assessment tools like eye tracking and EEG technology to measure social processing and brain activity. Young children between the ages of 2 years and 5 years of age may enroll. We need children who have been previously diagnosed with an ASD as well as those who seem to be developing typically to take part. 

The goal of this study is to understand how children with little or no speech understand sounds and words. This study is enrolling boys and girls ages 8-12 who have ASD and are minimally verbal or nonverbal OR have a Developmental or Intellectual Disability (DD/ID).  What we learn from this study may help other people who have little or no speech. You will also receive a short report summarizing your child’s language and problem-solving skills.

The goal of this study is to learn about brain function and structure in typically developing teens and in teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Teenaged boys and girls ages 12-16 with AND without ASD are eligible for this study to understand how brain processes change during child development.

The goal of this research study is to learn how typically developing adults vary in their social communication skills and body movements from adults with autism spectrum disorder. For this study, we are recruiting adults with autism spectrum disorder as well as typically developing adults. Participation in the study involves two visits to CAR, spaced a few months apart. Study visits will include interviews and questionnaires to assess social understanding and social skills, and activities designed to measure motor behavior and communication in adults.

The goal of this study is to understand  how brain structure & function change during childhood. Children aged 6-8 with or  without ASD are invited to participate in this study, which will involve two visits to CHOP about every 18 months for 3 years. We will have your child do tests of language, problem-solving, and basic academic skills as well as non-invasive (safe) brain imaging.

The goal of this research study ist to understand how children with and without ASD process information. Boys ages 6-17 with or without ASD are eligible to enroll in this 2-part study.

We are seeking parents of young children for this study to test a new research app for Android and iOS smartphones that measures how well a child responds to his or her name in everyday environments.  Children who don’t consistently recognize their name may have a developmental concern.  For this study, parents of any child between the ages of 18 months to 4 years are eligible (developmental concerns are not required). This study can be completed online or by phone. The total time commitment is about 4 hours over 4 weeks.

This study for boys with ASD, aged 14 to 17 is meant to determine whether a single dose of the investigational drug Arbaclofen (STX-209) changes brain activity during a series of problem-solving activities.

To measure brain activity, we use a sort of helmet called magnetoencephalography (MEG), which is non-invasive and senses the brain's magnetic activity. The study involves 4 visits to CHOP.