What is the purpose of this study?

Dr. Sara Webb, Dr. Annette Estes, and researchers at the University of Washington want to learn more about early developmental processes in infants who have a typically developing older sibling.

Who can be in the study?

In order to learn about typical developmental processes, the Early Connections study is looking for families with a typically developing infant of 6-months or younger, who has an older sibling with typical development.

What would the study involve for your family?

The study will involve:

• Comprehensive infant evaluations at the University of Washington Autism Center at 6-, 12- and 18-months, including cognitive, social and brain wave assessments.
• Completion of questionnaires and phone interviews for parents.

What is the time commitment for participation in the study?

You will be asked to complete several questionnaires, respond to a number of questions over the phone and participate in assessment visits at the UW Autism Center when your infant is 6, 12, and 18 months old. At each time point, the questionnaires will take approximately two hours, each phone call lasts approximately one hour, and we will ask that you schedule 4-6 one-hour visits to the University of Washington.

What will my family get out of the study?

• All families will receive developmental evaluations of their infant at 6, 12, and 18 months along with a detailed clinical report.
• Information regarding your children’s developmental profile.
• Reimbursement for your time ($60 at the completion of the 6 and 12 month assessment visits and $80 at the completion of the 18 month visits), compensation for parking, and small toys for your infant.

What are the risks to participating in this study and what safeguards are in place to minimize any risks?

There are no known psychological or physical risks associated with any of the procedures. One potential risk is that your infant or child may become bored or fussy during the session. All researchers are experienced in working with young infants and every effort will be taken to keep your child engaged and minimize boredom or frustration. You or your child may indicate a desire to discontinue a task or withdraw from the study at any point during participation for any reason and your wish will be honored immediately with no consequence to you or your infant.

Whom should I contact to get involved?

To learn more about any of our studies, please contact our Project Scheduler at our toll-free number: 1-800-994-9701

University of Washington
Early Connections Study
Box 357920, Seattle, WA 98195
phone: 1-800-994-9701
email: ddrinfo@u.washington.edu

Please remember we can not guarantee the confidentiality of email.

Click to learn more about studies for families with children with symptoms of ASD.

We are also looking for infants (under 12 months of age) to participate in our new study examining brain development. Please visit the link below for more information regarding this study and how to participate. http://www.babysibsimaging.org/UW/home.html