Cognitive strengths and weaknesses in autism and related disorders project

This project focuses on the social differences experienced by children with autism and other related disorders. We are recruiting children 4 years and above who are typically-developing or have any of the following diagnoses: Autism, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, or Fragile X Syndrome. Taking part will include assessments of language and communication skills, as well as some fun activities looking at social skills. Click on the title to find out more!

This project aims to understand more about the social difficulties experienced by children with autism, Cornelia de Lange and Fragile X syndromes and how these difficulties affect their daily lives.
We hope our research will contribute to improving the support available to children who experience these difficulties.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for both autistic and non-autistic children aged four years and above. We are also looking for children with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome aged four years and above.

What does our research involve?
Completing one or more of the assessments, described below.
• Assessments of language, social and communication skills. The tasks and fun activities demonstrate skills in different social situations.
• Eye-tracking assessments show where the child is looking on a screen, giving us information about what a person finds interesting.

You as the parent/guardian will also be asked to fill out additional questionnaires and complete an interview over the phone.

Where will the study take place?
If you decide to take part, we will arrange an appointment at your convenience at University College London, University of Birmingham, or your home. We will pay for your travel expenses if you choose to visit the University.

Sounds like something you may be interested in or have any questions?
If you would like to take part in this project, have any questions or would like to discuss the study in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact our research assistant- Beth at b.webster@ucl.ac.uk.

This project is supported by the Bailey Thomas Charitable Fund. This study has been approved by the UCL Research Ethics Committee (ethics@ucl.ac.uk).