Project REACH
Project Information
Recruitment Information
- Recruitment Target: 150 per site (300 total); 30 per site per year (over next 5 years)
- Eligibility Criteria:
- We’re looking for parents or caregivers who:
- Have a child with autism between ages 3–9
- Identify as Black
- Live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or North Carolina
- Compensation Information:
- Participants will be compensated $200 for completing the study activities.
- Participants will be compensated an additional $100 if they complete the optional focus group
Study Blurb
We are excited to share an opportunity to participate in Project REACH, a research study aimed at better understanding Black families raising children with autism.
Project REACH seeks to explore minority health disparities through the lens of the mental health and experiences of Black parents and caregivers of children with autism (ages 3-9). Additionally, we want to understand how these experiences may influence the child’s behavior and development. The long-term goal is to improve support and understanding for Black families raising children with autism.
Project REACH is looking for parents/caregivers who:
- Have a child with autism between ages 3–9
- Identify as Black
- Live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or North Carolina
If you join, you’ll take part in:
- A child assessment (in person at home or a clinic)
- A few online surveys and a virtual interview about your experiences
- An optional virtual focus group with other parents
Behavioral Support Training for Parents and Caregivers of Autistic Children
We are NOW recruiting for a research study aimed towards:
- Autistic adults (18+ years old) who experience behavioral challenges that impact daily routine, safety, self-care, and/or quality of life.
- Caregivers of autistic adults**
** Caregiver and autistic adult pairs ("dyads") should be living in the same home at least 50% of time throughout participation in this study. ** Caregivers should be the Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) or legal guardian of the autistic adult, or the autistic adult must consent to the caregiver's participation in this study.
Seattle Children's Hospital, Els for Autism Center , our team at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute have collaborated to develop a new intervention, the RUBI for Autistic Adults ("RUBI-A") program, to help autistic adults and their caregivers work together to come up with helpful solutions to daily challenges . We hope that the RUBI-A program can help support both autistic adults and their families at home and in their communities.
Participation in the RUBI-A study will last up to 20 weeks. After speaking with research staff and completing questionnaires and evaluations to confirm eligibility, individuals will be randomly assigned to one of two programs: the RUBI-A program or an autism psychoeducation program.
Participants will complete program activities (e.g., attend virtual or in-person intervention sessions, complete assignments) and answer online questionnaires throughout their participation in both interventions.
We encourage both caregivers and autistic adults to work collaboratively during this study, however, there are options for autistic adults and their level of participation (based on preferences and abilities):
- Participate in ALL study activities (questionnaires and intervention responsibilities);
- Complete questionnaires ONLY ;
- Complete intervention responsibilities ONLY;
- Participate in NO study activities but consent to their caregiver(s) completing study activities.
Caregivers and adults will be compensated for their time completing questionnaires across study timepoints.
If autistic adults or caregivers are interested in learning more or participating, they may reach out to the study team via email (RUBI@drexel.edu) or via phone (215-571-3219 - text or call available) to learn more.
Follow-Up for Autism Screening in Toddlers (FAST)
We completed 3 studies screening toddlers for possible autism during their well child visits to pediatric practices in the community. Our FAST study is a follow-up study that gets an update on the children – now school-aged – who were not diagnosed with autism during one of these studies. We are doing this research to learn how doctors, nurse practitioners, and other community providers can identify autism earlier which helps autistic children get supports and services. This study is in partnership with University of Connecticut and Emory University (following children from the Georgia State University site). Families who participate will:
1. Complete an online screener questionnaire about their child's development and behavior, and tell us whether they have any concerns. This will take approximately 15 minutes. Compensation is provided.
2. Some families may be asked to complete other questions over the phone (estimated to take 20 minutes).
3. Some families will be invited for an in-person evaluation to better understand their child's strengths and challenges.
This study is only for families who were enrolled in one of our toddler studies between 2012 and 2020. If we contacted you directly, we want to learn how your child is doing today. To get your personalized survey link, please email us at faststudy@drexel.edu, or call or text 215-571-3897 with your child’s first and last name, and date of birth.
Behavioral Support Training for Parents and Caregivers of Autistic Children
We are NOW recruiting parents/caregivers of children 2-8 years old who:
- Have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Experiences mild-to-moderate disruptive behaviors (i.e., tantrums, aggression, non-compliance).
The goal of this study is to evaluate the RUBI Parent Training program for families of young children who have autism and challenging behaviors.
Participation would include:
- Fourteen (14) 60-minute weekly sessions (in-person or online).
The focus of RUBI sessions is to help caregivers better understand how to respond to, and prevent, challenging behaviors as well as help them promote positive behaviors and build better adaptive skills.
Benefits to participating in this study includes:
- Opportunity to receive the RUBI parent training program at NO COST!
- Possible improvements in your child’s behavior following RUBI sessions.
- No-cost assessments of your child’s adaptive and behavioral functioning pre- and post- RUBI training.
- $50 payment received at both the start and end of trainings and assessments – up to $100 total compensation!
If you are interested in participating or learning more, you can reach out to RUBI@drexel.edu!