Research Studies


Research Studies

A note for parents/caregivers and Autistic individuals interested in participating: 

The following studies below are seeking participants! Some of these studies are a small time commitment and are research-based questionnaires only, while other studies may take place over a few months and include therapy, parent/caregiver training or coaching, or some other form of Autism support, therapy, or guidance. A few studies may involve compensation or a chance to get a gift card, which will be noted below.

Researchers: Do you want to post a study?

Please read our information on how to post a study here: https://tinyurl.com/StudyAST

The Autism Society of Texas has no affiliation with the organizations below and does not endorse or approve studies. All questions and concerns about studies should be directed to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or the poster of the study. Thank you!

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Featured Studies are shared monthly on AST social media main pages with a featured study graphic

Featured Studies

The following organizations have made a donation to the Autism Society of Texas to be included in our “Featured Studies” section. We are grateful for donations that support our staff time and help us assist the Texas Autism community!

Liberty University

The purpose of this study will be to describe the lived experiences of women diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in adulthood in Texas.

End date of study enrollment period is 06/01/2024.

Time required for the study: Approximately 4 hours over the course of many days.

I am conducting research as part of the requirements for a Doctor of Education degree at Liberty University. The purpose of my research is to better understand women who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in adulthood. To participate, you must be 18 years of age or older, a female, born and live in Texas, have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder since being an adult of 18 years old, and can fully communicate your experiences. Eligible and willing participants will be asked to respond to seven journal prompts in writing via Google Forms (45 minutes), participate in a recorded, virtual interview (1-2 hours), and take part in a recorded, virtual focus group (1 hour). If you would like to participate, please click the link provided at the end of this post to take a screening survey. A consent document will be provided via email before the study procedures begin.

Here’s the link if you are interested in participating: https://forms.gle/VEsJTAJ3r9eX9SVMA

For more information, please contact: Stephani Lapides at 956-207-8243 or email at: Slapides@liberty.edu

Baylor College of Medicine

The purpose of this study is to better understand how adolescents respond to different emotions and social situations.

End date of study enrollment period is June 1st, 2025.

Time required for the study: 6 hour, in-person visit

Compensation of approximately $145 will be offered.

If you know a child who is affected by anxiety, depression, or autism, you know that it can affect the way they respond to different emotions and social situations. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine are looking to understand these emotions better by using advanced computer technology that examines facial expressions and language use in teens with different mental health backgrounds with the hope that this information will help inform better diagnoses for a variety of conditions. We are inviting families with children between the ages of 12-17 with or without anxiety, depression, or autism to be part of this research study. Participants will receive psychological evaluation and compensation for their time. To learn more and get involved, contact Becca Greenberg at ACES-Study@bcm.edu or call us at 713.798.1918.

University of Texas at Austin

Sibwatch

To understand when and how to provide early intervention for infant/toddlers with an increased risk for Autism. Link to apply: https://sites.utexas.edu/sibwatch/

Time required for the study: 1-3 hours per week for 6 months

End date of study enrollment period is June 1, 2024

Participants are compensated with materials for assessments, gift card, and report about your child’s development.

We are looking for infant/toddler siblings of children diagnosed with autism. Siblings should be younger than 18 months old at time of enrollment, and have no formal diagnosis. All study activities are virtual and include regular developmental monitoring. Some parent participants will receive intervention strategies to support social communication development. Those who do not receive the intervention will have the opportunity to receive the intervention at the end of the study. A full developmental report will be provided for all participants.

Studies

University of Texas Health Science Center Houston

Helping military families with young adults with autism transition to adulthood.

End date of study enrollment period: 03/31/2025

Time required for the study: 10 weeks

Participant Compensation: $100 in gift cards for completing questionnaires for the young adult and $100 in gift cards for a parent for completing questionnaires

Contact: Antonio Pagan Email: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 661-313-9149

For more information about the study: https://med.uth.edu/psychiatry/patient-care/launching-to-adulthood-program-2/

and www.tiny.cc/UTHealthHouston 

University of Texas Health Science Center Houston

The purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of the relationship how individuals cope with or regulate their emotions, how they think they are managing with daily tasks such as paying attention to the tasks at hand, organizing their daily duties, and how they perceive their social life and health.

End date of study enrollment period: 06/30/2025

Time required for the study: 10-30 minutes

Participant Compensation: Through a lottery system, every 10 participants, one participant will be randomly selected to receive a $30 egiftcard.

The purpose of the present study is to understand the relationship between emotional regulation and executive functioning in adults with Bipolar Disorder and autistic traits. After completing our pre-screener, we will send you an email for the full survey where you will answer some questionnaires about your experiences. Your information will be kept confidential. You can email me at: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu

Contact: Antonio Pagan Email: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 661-313-9149

University of Texas Health Science Center Houston

To help English-speaking young adults with autism and their Spanish-speaking parents navigate the transition to adulthood.

End date of study enrollment period: 10/23/2025

Time required for the study: 10 weeks

Participant Compensation: Parents can each receive $195 of gift cards and young adults can receive up to $195 for completing measures and $200 bonus gift cards if they are interested in an optional imaging aim. 

Contact: Antonio Pagan Email: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 661-313-9149

For more information about the study: https://med.uth.edu/psychiatry/iniciando-la-adultez/

and www.tiny.cc/UTHealthHouston

Texas Christian University

We are conducting a research study on the effectiveness of screening tools in detecting autism spectrum disorders in children of both sexes.

End date of study enrollment period: 10/01/2024

Time required for the study: 10 minutes

Participant Compensation: None

We are conducting a research study on the effectiveness of screening tools in detecting autism spectrum disorders in children of both sexes. We are seeking parents or caregivers of children between the ages of five and eleven whose children have received a formal ADOS score. Participation will take no more than 10 minutes and will involve filling out a short survey. Participation is completely voluntary, and data will be deidentified and stored on locked computers at TCU.

Contact: Claire Thompson Email: c.e.thompson8@tcu.edu Phone: 978-880-1068

For more information about the study: https://tcu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cFT1Cd3xAuHEADk

UT Health Science Center at Houston

To understand the experiences of autistic adults who have participated in psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations.

End date of study enrollment period: 08/23/2025

Time required for the study: 1.5 hours

Participant Compensation: None

Hi all, we are inviting you to participate in a research study focused on your experiences during psychiatric inpatient hospitalization. The purpose of this research is to better understand what adults undergo during psychiatric hospitalization in order to make recommendations to improve these experiences. If you agree to be in our study, we will ask you to complete a brief Qualtrics survey about you and your experiences, with the option to participate in a recorded Zoom session as well if you would like. Your total time commitment is expected to be a one time, 30-minute session to complete the Qualtrics survey, with an additional hour session if you complete the interview as well. Interviews will be conducted using a secured Zoom link. The survey can be completed at: https://uthtmc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0r1fVM2MMxXTscm

Contact: Juliana Vanderburg. Email: juliana.l.vanderburg@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 512-698-7064

UT Health Houston

To understand the experiences of autistic burnout and trauma for autistic adults.

End date of study enrollment period: 07/31/2025

Time required for the study: 15 minutes

Participant Compensation: $10 for completing the survey

The purpose of this study is to learn about distinct and overlapping symptoms of PTSD and autistic burnout in order to help clinicians know how to treat both conditions. You are invited to take part in this study because you are an adult with an experience of autistic burnout and trauma. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to respond to questions in a brief survey. The total amount of time you will be in this study is 15-30 minutes. The first 100 valid responses to the survey will receive a $10 e-gift card for your participation. You may also be contacted for a brief interview about your experiences with autistic burnout and trauma, if you are willing to participate in this.

For more information about the study: https://uthtmc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ctEZZOhndS8xD4W

Contact: Antonio Pagán Email: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 661-313-9149

UT Health Houston

To help Latino young adults transition to adulthood and their Spanish-speaking parents receive support.

End date of study enrollment period: 09/15/2025

Time required for the study: 1.5 hours per week for 10 weeks

Participant Compensation: Each young adult and parent could earn up to $195 for participating and completing measures.

The Launching! to Adulthood program helps autistic young adults reach their full potential, while supporting their parents. The program is 10 weeks long and is completely virtual. Young adults and parents attend separate weekly group meetings and young adults work 1-on-1 with a coach to help them with their goals. We have programs in English, Spanish, and for military families. We look forward to serving you!

For more information about the study: http://tiny.cc/UTHealthHouston

Contact: Antonio Pagán Email: antonio.pagan@uth.tmc.edu Phone: 661-313-9149

University of Texas at Austin

We are conducting a research study aimed at understanding the experiences of parents with children diagnosed with autism who have received applied behavior analysis therapy (ABA therapy) for a year or longer.

End date of study enrollment period: 09/15/2024

Time required for the study: 3 hours

Participant Compensation: None

The purpose of the study is to learn the experiences of parents of children with autism as it relates to receiving therapeutic services. In order to participate, you must be the parent of a child with autism. Your child must have received applied behavior analysis therapy (ABA therapy) for a year or longer. If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete two questionnaires and possibly participate in an interview with one of the researchers. The surveys will take no more than 1 hour to complete. The interview will take no more than 2 hours to complete. Taking part in this research study is voluntary. You do not have to participate, and you can stop at any time.

For more information about the study: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3kCIkgZcBXjadOm

Contact: Patricio Erhard Email: patricio.erhard@utexas.edu Phone: 210-844-5831

Baylor College of Medicine

This study tests the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for autistic youth with anxiety and/or depression.

End date of study enrollment period 05/31/2025

Time required for the study: 12 1hr sessions of virtual treatment over 14 weeks; 10 hours of assessments over 4 visits

Up to $400 compensation through ClinCards.

HAABIT is a research study at Baylor College of Medicine that provides free virtual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for autistic teens aged 10-17 who experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. The treatment involves weekly therapy tailored for autism and four assessments, for which you will be compensated up to $400. There is no cost to participate in the study.

Please fill out this eligibility form https://tinyurl.com/HAABITStudy or contact Jessica Cheng and Callie Murphy at AutismTeenTherapy@bcm.edu to express interest or learn more! 

University of Houston Cognitive Development Lab

The purpose of this study is to explore the visual experiences of children with or at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder during social play with their parents.

End date of study enrollment period is September 16th, 2026

Time required for the study: 1-4 hours

Participants will be given a $20 Amazon Gift Card, Family Passes to the Children’s Museum of Houston, and Gift-Bundle (T-shirt, Books, Crayons, Stickers, etc).

The UH Cognitive Development Lab invites families with children between the ages of 3 months and 5.11 years to participate in our exciting research project! We are specifically looking for children with autism, children that have a sibling with autism, and/or children suspected of having autism. This project consists of a parent-child play session, and depending on the age of your child: a motor test, a vocabulary test, an IQ test, and/or the ADOS-2 (a gold-standard autism diagnostic test). Compensation will be provided alongside a full summary of your child’s results on the tests.

For more information, email Elizabeth Perkovich at esperkovich@uh.edu.

Social Media and Friendships Studies

Academic Studies

Sensory & Motor Behavior Studies

Speech Studies

We have no speech therapy study listings at this time! Studies coming soon!

Parent/Caregiver Coaching Studies

The University of Texas at Dallas (The Social Communication Lab)

We are studying the efficacy of Pathways Parent Training Program.

End date of study enrollment period 06/01/2024

Time required for the study: 1-2 hours per week for 6 months

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Pathways parent-coaching intervention on (1) improving social, communication, and language skills in children who have difficulties in social attention and communication. We will do this by comparing the Pathways intervention with a parent education intervention. The project provides 24 weeks of intervention and assessments to measure your child’s progress.

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact Sara Brantley at: sara.brantley@utdallas.edu or 214-226-3622.

For more information about the study: https://labs.utdallas.edu/socialcommunicationlab/

Other Studies and Categories

Studies coming soon! Please check back as we will update studies monthly!