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Research Study

PAREint: Testing a Novel Parenting Intervention for Autistic Children

Please read the below information regarding research that you may wish to participate in:

Gemma Ryan is an Autism researcher at City, University of London. She is currently conducting a research project which aims to establish the feasibility of a new intervention for children with Autism in Key Stage 2, who do not have significant language or global learning disability. Gemma is working in collaboration with Dr. Sophie Lind, Dr. Martin Cartwright, Professor Dermot Bowler, and Professor Patricia Howlin. This research is particularly important because there are currently very few effective, evidence-based interventions for children with this profile, and yet we know that adult outcomes (in terms of rates of employment, mental health, and so on) are poor for a substantial proportion of this group.

They are aiming to assess the feasibility of teaching parents to use new “structured communication” techniques with their children. These techniques have been shown to improve a range of cognitive skills for non-Autistic children, so they are aiming to investigate the potential benefits of using structured conversations for Autistic children. The study has been granted ethical approval from City, University of London’s Psychology Research Ethics Committee and they anticipate that it will commence in March 2021. They are inviting any parent/guardian with a child who fits the following criteria to get involved with the study:

  • Aged 7-11 years
  • Diagnosed with ASD
  • No significant language or global learning disabilities additional to their Autism

Further information on this study can be seen in the Parent Information Sheet

If you are interested in participating in this study you can register your interest by clicking on the following Link: https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ahmJM6UHkCsaJxj