Research Participation Opportunities

The Autism Research Centre at Dalhousie University is looking for Arabic-speaking parents who have a young child with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis to complete a brief survey on autism early intervention.

We are looking for families with a child who:

- Has an official diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and
- Is 8 years old or younger and
- Has received or will be receiving autism early intervention.

Participants will be asked to review a poster about autism early intervention (in Arabic) and complete two associated brief questionnaires (may be completed in Arabic or English). This should not take longer than 10 minutes. Compensation will be provided for your time.

If interested, please visit the following link: tinyurl.com/ArabicNDBIs or email Teba.Hamodat@dal.ca if you have any questions or would like to learn more about the research study.

This study has been approved by the IWK Health Research Ethics Board (#1030553).

What is the study about? 

Have you ever wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons but never had the chance? Now’s your opportunity! We want to learn how games like Dungeons & Dragons can help people. We’re especially interested in how these games can help with social skills. 

Who can participate?  

·                  People aged 14 to 25 who have never played tabletop role-playing games  

·                  Must be able to speak and understand English.  

·                  Must live in Ontario or Québec.  

·                  Must have a diagnosis or identify as a person with autism spectrum disorder.  

·                  Can join a 90-minute online game session once a week for 8 weeks. 

·                  Must have zoom for a short interview. 

What’s involved? 

You will join in a 90-minute game session once a week, for 8 weeks. You will complete one questionnaire before starting and after the completion of all game sessions. You will also participate in an exit interview. 

Groups will run on Mondays and Thursdays from 6pm to 7:30pm EST beginning the week of March 31st. You can participate in either the Monday or Thursday group.

What are the potential benefits?  

·                  We will discover how these games can help with social skills.  

·                  We will gather information to support using games in occupational therapy.  

·                  You might feel more confident in social situations and making friends.  

·                  Plus, you’ll have fun!  

To ask questions or sign up, please contact:  

Cody Roy – cody.roy@mail.utoronto.ca  

Naomi Hazlett: naomi.hazlett@gmail.com 

Dr. Mackenzie Salt at McMaster University is looking for Autistic people to participate in a focus group study about how Autistic youth and adults feel about adulthood and what is most important to them about being/becoming adults.

•    Participants must be between 16 and 24 years of age (the focus groups for the other age group mentioned in the poster (25+ years) are already full)
•    Focus groups will be conducted in English
•    Participants will receive a worksheet to help them organize their thoughts on the focus group topic before the group
•    Participants will participate in one 90-minute focus group over Zoom.
•    Participants will receive a $40.00 gift card at the end of the study.

Please see the flyer below for more information on how to participate.
If you have any questions about the study, please contact the study team at autadult@mcmaster.ca

This study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board under Project #13623.
 

The Community Autism Research Lab at Carleton University is looking for parents who were diagnosed or self-identified as Autistic after their Autistic child(ren) to participate in a study exploring their experiences. Particularly, we are interested in understanding your motivations for seeking an autism diagnosis, your diagnostic journey, and your reflections on autistic parenting.

What does participation involve?

You will be asked to complete 2 steps:

1. Survey: Complete a questionnaire that includes questions about yourself and your child(ren) (~20-30 minutes); and/or
2. Interview: Participate in a one-on-one interview with your choice of an autistic or non-autistic researcher, in the format of your choice, including a Zoom meeting or phone call (~45-60 minutes).

Participants will receive up to $25.00 in eGift Card ($10.00 for the questionnaire and $15.00 for the interview).

Interested?

If you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study, please contact us at AutismLab@carleton.ca.

This research has been approved by the Carleton University Research Ethics Board-B (Protocol #122084).

The Re Storying Autism in Education research team is looking for people who identify as Autistic to participate in an arts-based project on their experiences with educational assessments. 

• Participants must be 16 years or older to participate
• If you identify as Autistic you are eligible to participate
• We encourage non speaking Autistics, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ to participate
• Participants will be invited to participate in an online exhibit
  • Materials such as a template will be provided
• You will be asked to recall your experiences with K-12 educational assessments such as report cards or evaluations 

If you are interested in participating or have any questions please contact: 

Dr. Patty Douglas (PI) douglas.patricia@queensu.ca or Haley Clark haley.clark@queensu.ca

This study has received ethical approval by Queen’s University General Research Ethics Board. 

We are a group of researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) doing a study, titled “Evaluation of a Peer-led Program for and with Autistic Women

We are looking to recruit participants to evaluate the impact of a virtual peer support program on the wellbeing of newly diagnosed autistic women. Participation in this study includes:

• attending weekly virtual peer support sessions that are 1.5 hours long for 8 weeks, starting on Tuesday March 18 at 6:30pm
• filling out surveys 3 times during the study period (over 25 weeks) that will take about 45-60 minutes to complete, and
• participating in a post-program individual interview (60-90 minutes) about your experiences in the program.

Participation is completely voluntary and will not affect any present or future services provided by CAMH. Any information collected for this study will be confidential.

Please find attached a recruitment flyer, which includes information about the study and our contact information. Please share this information with autistic women who have been clinically diagnosed with autism in the past 8 months.

If you would like more information, please contact the CAMH research staff by email AWPeerSupport@camh.ca.

🚍 Share Your Transit Story! 

Are you an Autistic young adult living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)? We want to hear about your experiences with public transit!

Our research team is conducting a study to explore the transportation barriers and supports Autistic individuals face while navigating the GTA. Your insights can help improve accessibility and inform better transit policies across Ontario.

Details:

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Who can participate?

• Autistic individuals aged 18–35
• Residing in the GTA
• With access to and experience using public transit
• Have a phone

🎁 What’s in it for you?

• Receive a $50 gift card per session (up to $150 for completing all 3 sessions).

📸 What’s involved?

• Participate in interviews and photography sessions to share your transit experiences.

📅 When?

• Recruitment ends in April. We’re looking for 8–11 more participants!

✉️ Interested?
Contact us at: info@torontotransportautismexperiences.ca

Why this matters:

Your feedback will shape academic articles, policy briefs, and presentations to improve public transit for Autistic adults in Ontario. We’re working with organizations like the TTC, Metrolinx, Autism Alliance, and Mobilizing Justice to make a difference.

This study is approved by OCAD University’s Research Ethics Board (REB #: 2024-01).

This study seeks to understand the barriers and facilitators of workplace inclusion and wellbeing for autistic human services workers in Canada and the United States. It is the first large-scale study to examine these topics, thus the results will offer new knowledge and most importantly inform efforts to promote the inclusion of autistic human services workers.

Who can join the study? Autistic (self-identifying or diagnosed) human services workers who are 18 years of age or older and currently working in Canada or the United States with at least two other colleagues in their organization are invited to join the study.  We are planning to recruit approximately 200 participants for the survey. Because other researchers have explored the experiences of autistic teachers, teachers are excluded from this study.

What’s involved if I join the study?
Should you wish to participate, you will need to complete a brief online form to assess your eligibility to be a part of the study.  Eligible individuals will be emailed a link to the full survey using an email address they provide. Sending the survey this way helps reduce the risk of fraudulent participants. Your email address will be kept confidential.

Once the survey link is sent to you, please complete it within seven days. It should take approximately 30 minutes to complete, although for some, it might take longer. You can start it and complete it later (on the same device within 24 hours), if you wish. 

How was the survey developed?
The survey was designed based on the researcher’s experiences in clinical practice with autistic individuals, relevant literature, and most importantly by consulting with autistic human services workers. Prior to launching the survey, nine autistic human services workers offered in-depth feedback about key survey questions, thus enhancing the appropriateness and relevance of the survey to autistic human services workers.

Is there compensation?
After completing the survey participants can receive a $10 Starbucks electronic gift card. Please note that any responses that are found to be invalid (e.g. dishonest answers) will not be eligible for compensation. Similarly, if you provide incorrect information regarding your eligibility criteria (i.e., age, location of residence) you will not be eligible for compensation. We rely on the authenticity of your experience and answers to ensure the accuracy of our research. If you believe you should still be compensated, you may email the Principal Investigator. Thank you for your honesty and cooperation. If you’re interested in receiving a gift card, you are asked to provide your name and email address at the end of survey.

Is the survey confidential?
Yes, all responses will be kept confidential, including names and email addresses. All data will be reported in aggregated form to protect confidentiality. Names and email addresses will be deleted once the study is completed.

I have accessibility needs, what should I do to join the study?
If you cannot complete the survey online, please contact Sarah Southey at sout1160@mylaurier.ca to arrange a time to complete it verbally with her.

Has the study received ethics approval?
Yes, the study has been approved by the Research Ethics Board at Wilfrid Laurier University (file #8972).

📢 Calling all autistic youth (ages 13-25)! 

Our research team at York University is recruiting autistic youth to participate in an online study about positive well-being (i.e., flourishing) and to test the use of a flourishing questionnaire. 

Who can participate? 

• Autistic youth between 13 and 25 years of age. 
• Located in Ontario, Canada. 
• Have a diagnosis of autism or self-identify as autistic.     

What does participation involve? 

• Completing a 15-minute online survey about flourishing and autistic traits.
• For those under 16 years of age, a parent or caregiver will be asked to provide consent for participation and complete the autistic traits questionnaire about the youth. 
• The survey can be completed alone or with a support person. 

No compensation will be provided for this part of the study. However, if you are 16 years of age or older, you will have the chance to sign-up for the interview phase of our study, which will involve a 30-minute online interview. Participants who participate in the interview will receive a $15 e-gift card. 

Here is the link to our study sign-up sheet! A member of our research team will then send you the survey directly. https://yorku.questionpro.ca/t/AB3urAcZB3u32R

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach Teresa Sellitto or Dr. Jonathan Weiss at  flourishstudy@yorku.ca

What is the PARC Study?

We are a research team looking to gather information about newly-diagnosed Autistic children and their families. We are asking about child symptoms, skills, functioning and abilities, as well as about their family life. Gathering this data early in life can help us understand developmental outcomes in Autistic children.

What will my participation involve?

We will ask you to complete a set of online questionnaires (taking about 2-3 hours total) repeated every 6 months until study exit (age 6).

Why participate?

The information we collect can help us learn about the strengths and needs of children and families. You will also receive research summary reports to track how your child’s symptoms, skills, and abilities may be changing over time.

For questions, please contact: Melissa Susko, Research Coordinator melissa.susko@queensu.ca