We are seeking autistic children between the ages of 8 and 14 who experience anxiety. Primary caregivers are also asked to participate in the study alongside their child. As part of the study, children and caregivers will have the opportunity to participate in Facing Your Fears, a free 14-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based intervention for child anxiety.

About the Study 

This study is being conducted to better understand anxiety in autistic individuals. Through the use of self- and parent-report questionnaires, structured activities, and an electroencephalogram, we hope to explore the mechanisms underlying anxiety in autism and how they may change in response to intervention.

Facing Your Fears is a multifamily group for verbally fluent children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and also have difficulties managing their anxiety. It is a group intervention that aims to help children and their parents develop coping strategies and practice “facing their fears” with guidance and support from group facilitators. 

Prior to the 14-week intervention period, primary caregivers and their children will come into the lab twice: once for structured activities to determine eligibility and once for the pre-intervention visit, which includes an EEG and questionnaires. Following the 14-week intervention period, families will return to our lab for a final EEG session and questionnaires. 

Every eligible family that completes the endpoint session will receive a $150 honorarium ($25/hour for a total of 6 hours of baseline and endpoint sessions). Participants may be offered travel reimbursement in line with institutional travel reimbursement policies. 

How to participate: 

Interested participants can reach out to the team at 973-655-3615 or eringkanglab@montclair.edu.

If you would like our team to contact you please fill out the contact information form and a member of our team will reach out.

We are seeking individuals 6-17 years old to participate in a project examining flexibility and attention!

About the Study

This study is being conducted to better understand areas related to flexible thinking in autistic and non-autistic individuals. Through the use of self- and parent-report questionnaires, structured activities, and electroencephalogram (EEG), we would like to explore different ways that flexible thinking relates to differences in social, emotional development and behaviors.

This study will take place over the course of two sessions, each lasting about two to three hours. In these sessions, participants and their parents will work onsite with trained researchers on a variety of assessments, including: IQ, cognitive functioning, autism assessments, as well as those involving games on the computer and EEG.

Participants will receive a $50 Amazon gift card for their time in the study (with the option to participate for additional sessions for higher amount). Upon request, we are also happy to provide a report summarizing the results of all standardized assessments completed during the study.

How to Participate

Interested participants can reach out to the team at 973-655-3615 or eringkanglab@montclair.edu.

If you would like our team to contact you please fill out the contact information form and a member of our team will reach out.

We are seeking individuals 6-17 years old to participate in a project about plasticity in the developing brain!

About the Study

This study is being conducted to better understand how the brain change across developmental periods in autistic and neurotypical children and adolescents. Participants will complete questionnaires, structured activities, games on the computer, and activities involving the electroencephalogram (EEG).

This study will take place over two sessions, about two to three hours each. In these sessions, participants and their parents will work onsite with trained researchers on a variety of assessments, including: IQ, cognitive functioning, autism assessments, as well as those involving games on the computer and EEG.

Participants will receive $50 in gift cards for their time in the study. Upon request, we are also happy to provide a report summarizing the results of all standardized assessments completed during the study.

How to Participate

Interested participants can reach out to the team at 973-655-3615 or eringkanglab@montclair.edu.

If you would like our team to contact you please fill out the contact information form and a member of our team will reach out.

We are recruiting parents from racial or ethnic minority groups [born within or outside of the United States] of autistic individuals(between the ages of 3 to 21), residing in the United States for a completely online study.

About the Study

This study is being conducted to better understand how members of racial and ethnic minority groups access and utilize services related to Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD). This study will identify the barriers and unique stressors experienced by minority families from navigating the process of diagnosis to accessing appropriate services for autistic individuals.

This study is completely online, and it will take about 30-40 minutes to complete. Parents will complete a consent form and a variety of questionnaires regarding parent and child characteristics, family needs, ASD symptomatology, and social impairment.

Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card for their time.

How to Participate

Interested participants can reach out to the team at 973-655-3615 or eringkanglab@montclair.edu.

If you would like our team to contact you please fill out the contact information form and a member of our team will reach out.

The Autism and Neurodevelopment Lab in the Psychology Department, in collaboration with Rowan University, is looking for incoming first-year students to participate in an online survey study.

About the Study

Help us learn about college experiences and mental health by taking a 2-minute survey, twice per week ("2m2x") on your smart phone throughout your first semester. The study requires 2-2.5 hours total, no in-person contact required and you can earn up to $75.00 in gift codes for your time.

How to Participate

Interested participants can complete the brief (5-min) screening survey to confirm their fit for the study.

Go to the Survey Screening

Questions

If you have any questions about the 2m2x study please contact SEAHL@rowan.edu or eringkanglab@montclair.edu.

This study has been approved by the Montclair State University Institutional Review Board, Study no. IRB-FY20-21-2158 and the Rowan University Institutional Review Board, Study no. IRB-2020001172).

We are seeking autistic individuals ages 14 and up living within the United States who are interested in sharing their experiences interacting with a variety of Community Helpers. No formal diagnosis is needed for participation.

About the Study

This project is for autistic adolescents and adults that wish to share their experiences interacting with a variety of Community Helpers (teachers, doctors, police officers, firefighters, etc.). Participant input will be incorporated into a training curriculum whose ultimate goal is to increase Community Helpers’ learning about, understanding of, and acceptance of autism.

Participation involves: 

• A 60-minute Zoom call with the lead researcher, where you will answer some questionnaires about yourself one-on-one.* 

• A 90-minute Focus Group, where you will answer some questions and share your experiences in a group format. These Focus Groups will be audio and video recorded. Focus Groups will be offered both in-person and over Zoom.

• After the training curriculum is drafted, you will have the opportunity to provide edits and feedback if you would like to do so (this part is optional, though greatly appreciated!).

*Note: If you are below the age of 18, your legal guardian must join the Zoom call. They will need to provide consent and answer some questionnaires, too. Although a formal diagnosis is not required, eligibility to participate in this project is not guaranteed. Eligibility will be determined at the beginning of the Zoom call.

To thank you for your time, input, and energy, you will be provided with a $10.00 electronic “Giftogram” gift card for answering the questionnaires and a $50.00 electronic “Giftogram” gift card for participating in the Focus Group. Additionally, in-person Focus Group participants may be offered local travel reimbursement.

How to Participate

Please enter your contact information here if you’d like for us to reach out to you, and we’ll be in touch soon! You are also welcome to contact Caroline Freden at fredenc1@montclair.edu or 973-327-7187, or the Autism and Neurodevelopment Lab at erinkanglab@montclair.edu.