**WE ARE CURRENTLY RECRUITING NEW FAMILIES**
We are recruiting families to participate in our IRB approved study who have children who:
- Received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder from the Waisman Center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic
- Are between the ages of 4 and 7
- Are fluent in English
- Live with at least one biological parent
What does participation involve?
Eligible families will visit our lab at the Waisman Center at UW-Madison once per year over the course of three years. Each visit will last 3.5 to 4 hours and will include the following activities:
Child:
- Cognitive and behavioral tests
- Interactive activities on the computer
- A short (1 hour) fMRI scan to learn how their brain works
Parent:
- Questionnaires and rating scales about your child’s behavior at home and school
Parent and Child:
- Saliva samples for DNA analysis
What are the benefits?
You will receive:
- No direct benefits (i.e., we provide no clinical diagnosis or treatment)
- Up to $120 for your full participation, plus an additional bonus each year
- A toy prize for your child
If you are interested in learning more about our research or have any other questions, please contact us at uwlinkstudy@waisman.wisc.edu or call us at 608-263-8913 with your name, number, and the best time for us to reach you.
ADHD
If you are interested in learning more about the signs, symptoms, and treatments for ADHD, visit the website Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) (chadd.org). We also recommend the book Taking Charge of ADHD, Third Edition: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents by Dr. Russell Barkley, for psycho-education, strategies for behavior management, medication management, and other resources that are generally helpful for parents.
If you are interested in evidence-based treatments for children with ADHD, see Multimodal Treatment Study (MTA) of ADHD. While medication (i.e., stimulants like methylphenidate and amphetamines) is an option for many children with ADHD – Combined Type, caregivers might also want to consider a behavioral treatment. In fact, for children with Combined Type ADHD, research has consistently shown that medication effects are more likely to be optimized when taken in concert with a behavioral intervention (see findings from the MTA study).