Thompson Center Psychometry Team Assists with EarliTec Study

The Thompson Center offers a space for collaboration between departments within the center. This cross-collaboration allows for staff to provide support for projects within their area of expertise, while fostering an environment for learning new skills and for the expansions of a project’s impact.

An example of an interdepartmental collaboration at the Thompson Center is between the psychometry team and the Research Core. Psychometrists provide cognitive or developmental assessment support for the Research Core’s EarliTec Study. The psychometrists administer the assessments, score them, and compile the data for the researchers.

The EarliTec Study started at the Thompson Center in October 2023. This study uses a tablet device called the EarliPoint Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder to track the child’s eye movements in response to stimuli. These eye movements are fed into an algorithm that shows the likelihood of autism versus no autism. After the child has gone through this eye tracking simulation, one of the psychometrists will do cognitive or developmental testing and collect behavior observations that are useful during the clinical portion of the child’s visit.

Peyton Matthews, a psychometrist I at the Thompson Center, has been involved in the EarliTec Study. “I personally enjoy getting to expand my knowledge about autism and new technology in the autism world,” Peyton said about her involvement in the EarliTec Study. “I have taken a more intense interest in helping with research as a psychometrist and feel as though opportunities like these broaden my perspective of not only autism, but the impact that our jobs can make in this field.”

Thompson Center Senior Psychometrist Courtney Oden also talked about the impact that being part of this study has had on her and her team. “Being able to contribute to the study and assist our Research Core is valuable for our professional growth as we extend beyond just clinical work,” said Courtney. “We enjoy getting to collaborate with other divisions within the center and expand our knowledge of autism and autism research.”

This is just one example of the interdepartmental collaborations that takes place at the Thompson Center. These collaborations are an important part of the work that’s done at the center because it fosters the growth of current skills and the space to acquire new skills.