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RESEARCH

Our lab focuses on psychosocial and physiological factors related to socioemotional functioning in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder across the lifespan. We are very interested in improving access to evidence-based practices for underserved populations through research on innovative delivery models.

PAST PROJECTS
(Chronological Order - Oldest to Newest)

COLLABORATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCH AND TREATMENT IN SCHOOLS (CARTS)

  • The purpose of this study was to better understand how to serve students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically,we are hoping to gather information about how to best train paraprofessionals to work with students with ASD in hopes of creating a training protocol that will enable paraprofessionals to promote social inclusion for these students. Focus groups were conducted in the Smyth County School District, where we asked teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals to share their experiences and knowledge on the multiple aspects of working with students with ASD and what they would like in terms of receive training on this topic. Although no longer recruiting, data analysis is ongoing for this project. 

SYNCHRONY/PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKAGE

  • Using a social interaction task with varied emotional content (sad, neutral, happy), we will evaluate various statistical methods of examining physiological linkage over time. Linkage refers to the coordination of physiological measures across two people, and is thought to reflect the basic human tendency to engage with others. We are currently focusing on the linkage of heart beat interval, and hope to expand to other measures. We aim to develop a novel measure that provides an overall index of the dyad’s linkage, and we plan to test if such linkage is a physiological index of social reciprocity. We will then apply this methodology to study linkage in people with ASD.

MOMS AND MINDFULNESS

  • This study examines the roles of mindfulness and parent self-efficacy on parenting stress during a parent and child interaction task. This study tests the hypotheses that 1) mindfulness moderates the relationship between parenting stress and parent response to child during a parent-child interaction task and 2) parent self-efficacy will attenuate the effect of ASD trains on maternal stress (measured via self-report and physiological response). Mothers of children with and without ASD are invited to participate in a stressful puzzle task. Mothers are asked to wear a heart-rate monitor before, during and after the task to measure heart rate and heart rate variability.

STRESS AND ANGER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

  • The purpose of this study is to further assess the efficacy of STAMP to improve emotion regulation skills in 5-7 year-old children with ASD. This treatment targets emotion regulation for anger and anxiety.

HEAR MY EMOTIONS (HEARME) PROJECT

  • This study proposes a novel approach to enable emotion recognition, awareness and regulation in children right at the time when they begin to experience difficulties due to anxiety and frustration. We intend to use a feedback loop that measures the physiology (Galvanic Skin Response and Heart Rate) of the participant (age 3-6 years), correlates the information derived from it with his/her affect, and finally presents this information back to him/her in the form of an audio representation.

CHILDREN AND THEIR REGULATION OF EMOTION (CARE) STUDY

  • The goals of this project are to examine social-emotional skills and adjustment problems, as well as the associations between these areas in children with ASD and their typically developing peers.

MACHINE LEARNING

  • The goal of this project is to do a comparative study of three machine learning (ML) algorithms that will permit the early detection of risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in underserved rural communities, that may ultimately improve their early access to care. The leading diagnostic instruments for autism require skilled clinicians and are time intensive. In addition, patients from rural areas often do not have access to experienced clinicians for early diagnosis. Screening for ASD risk may be more practical than waiting for diagnostic assessment, so early detection and referral to services can occur before an official diagnosis is made. A gold standard screening instrument is the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT).

  • This project involves working with an interdisciplinary team (engineers, computer scientists) across VT as well as across universities.

AUTISM MENTOR PARENT PROJECT (VTAMPP)

  • The primary goal of AMPP is to provide families with support and information to successfully navigate their child’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis and treatment process. Trained parents (mentors) will share their experiences and help provide encouragement to other parents (mentees) as they learn to navigate their new reality.

  • The current study will pilot the use of an online mentor-mentee matching program for parents of children with ASD.

STRESS TEST PROJECT

  • The purpose of this study is to develop a stress profile to predict adjustment of parents of children with ASD. We will do this by collecting both behavioral (parent self-report, parent-child interaction task) and physiological measures (heart rate/heart rate variability and saliva samples) that may index stress.

BIOMARKERS

  • The purpose of this research is to help us learn more about how those individuals with an autism spectrum disorder may be different from those individuals without an autism spectrum disorder in terms of their heart rate, breathing rate, and brain functioning. Those who participate in the study wear a strap to collect heart/breathing rate information, experience a fMRI, provide saliva for genetic sampling, and answer some questionnaires.

ASD & EMPLOYMENT STUDY

  • The purpose of this study is to determine needs and barriers to obtaining competitive employment in young adults with ASD. We are currently conducting focus groups and interviewing employers to gain a sense of their perspective on the barriers and benefits to hiring individuals with ASD, as well as working collaboratively with the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitation Services to better address these concerns. Future directions of this project include informing Vocational Rehabilitation services for individuals on the Autism Spectrum, specifically as it pertains to the identification and enhancement of discrete work-related skills.

ASD & DRIVING STUDY ​

  • The purpose of this research project is to collect data on concerns about driving in teens with ASD and their parents in comparison to neurotypical teens. We are working in collaboration with faculty from The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Center for Vulnerable Road User Safety to better address these concerns. Future directions of this project include the potential to inform Driver's Education courses to better include and inform individuals on the Autism Spectrum, as well as enhancing the literature in regards to the relationship between ASD symptomology, emotion regulation, and executive functioning.

EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON THE TRANSITION SERVICES FOR YOUTH WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

  • The purpose of this research is to understand how COVID-19 has impacted school based services for teens with autism (IRB 21-197). Parents of children ages 14 to 21 on the autism spectrum and school personnel who have experience with transition planning may be eligible. Study participation will include an online survey and a one-hour Zoom interview.

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PEERS FOR PRESCHOOLERS

  • This pilot study examined a parent-assisted social skills group (P4P) for preschoolers with ASD. Physiological synchrony was measured at pre-assessment, post-assessment, and 16-week follow up, by measuring HR/HRV for both parent and child during an interaction task. Treatment involved the adaptation of an empirically supported social skills intervention for preschool-aged children with ASD by integrating elements of parent-coaching established by the UCLA PEERS® program.

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PIVOTAL RESPONSE TRAINING (PRT) 

  • This study tests the acceptability of a new model for a parent-based intervention targeting children’s expressive language skills. PRT, an existing evidence-based behavioral treatment program, was supplemented with either mindfulness-based principles and activities or with psycho-education about parent stress and ASD. The two approaches will be compared. 

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