RESEARCH

Current Studies in the Lab

• Social development in higher functioning children and adolescents with autism.
  
• Predictors of variability in social engagement with an unfamiliar peer
  
• The Temperament over Time Study
  
• Social Information Processing Studies
  

FAQ's about participating in our research studies

Social development in higher functioning children and adolescents with autism

We are currently conducting a study to examine factors that predict variation in symptom severity and social competence in higher functioning children and adolescents with autism. This project includes behavioral, cognitive, and physiological (EEG/ERP) assessments of a large group of HFA children and a matched comparison sample. We are particularly interested in within-child factors (temperament, self-regulation, cognitive control) and relationship factors (family relationships, peer relationships) that are associated with patterns of change over time in social competence and adjustment. This study is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Peter Mundy at University of California-Davis and is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Predictors of variability in social engagement with an unfamiliar peer

We have developed a novel peer interaction paradigm in which children come to the laboratory in pairs to take part in a series of social interactive tasks. Participants are observed as they engage with an unfamiliar peer in nonstructured interactions as well as during more structured problem solving tasks. We are examining how these social behaviors relate to genetic measures (5-HTT) and behavioral and physiological measures of cognitive control and attention regulation. We are collecting these data on typically-developing children, children diagnosed with autism, and the younger siblings of children diagnosed with autism. These studies are supported by the Marino Autism Research Institute and Autism Speaks.

The Temperament over Time Study

This is a longitudinal study of social development we are conducting in collaboration with Dr. Nathan Fox at the University of Maryland. A large sample of children was initially recruited into the study as infants and this sample has now been followed-up for 7 years. The goals of this study are to examine the contributions of early temperament to children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. At the University of Miami, we are particularly interested in the within-child (e.g., self-regulation) and familial (e.g., parent-child interaction) processes that predict the development of children's competence in interacting with their peers. This study is supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Social Information Processing Studies

We are conducting a series of studies examining brain activity (EEG/ERP) as children process social and emotional information. We are conducting these studies with children with autism and typicially developing children. We are interested in how patterns of brain activity relate to individual differences in social cognition and emotional adjustment. These studies are supported by the Marino Autism Research Insititute (MARI), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Insititute of Educational Science (IES).