In the quest to understand and improve the lives of individuals with autism, we invite you to step into a pivotal role. Your participation in autism clinical trials can help to advance the understanding of child development, reduce global healthcare inequities, and make a lasting impact on the lives of autistic individuals and their families. This is not just an invitation for those on the autism spectrum, but for everyone. Your involvement is an invaluable service to the broader autism community.
What Does Participation Mean?
Participating in a research study can mean a lot of different things. For most studies, it involves you and/or your children coming to research labs and completing various cognitive and behavioral assessments. Assessments can include diagnostic tests, cognitive assessment, and measures of attention and brain function.
Be assured that before you enroll for any study, research staff will inform you of all the study-specific protocol and requirements. All research is completely voluntary and you always have the right to withdraw at any point during a study.
Compensation for Your Time
At Duke most of the research studies do include compensation for your time and efforts. Travel expenses and parking are also typically covered. Compensation varies by study and is usually commensurate with the amount of time the study requires.
Benefits of Participating in Research
Most studies offer a gold standard diagnostic assessment at no cost that you take with you when you go. Many studies also offer other cognitive and behavioral assessment reports that you can take with you to your care providers. In addition, referral information to participants is offered, helping to connect them with different services or in the community.
Participation of Non-Autistic Individuals
Yes! The studies involve a diverse range of participants, including people with and without autism. Anyone who is interested in helping further research efforts can participate.
Getting Started
The best way to get involved is to sign up for research registry. Learn more about the Duke Autism Research Registry here.
Participants partner with Duke to advance understanding of autism and child development. We invite you to be a part of the diverse research family. Many study visits can be done remotely and offer compensation.
