SPARK

SPARK is a free online study with a simple mission: to speed up research and advance the understanding of autism. By building a community of tens of thousands of individuals with autism and their biological family members who provide behavioral and genetic data, SPARK will be the largest autism research study to date.

Participation in SPARK can be done entirely at home — register online here.

• Register online in 20–30 minutes
• Complete a few questionnaires
• Provide a saliva DNA sample using collection kits sent directly to your home
• Receive a gift card up to $50 for the individual with autism upon completion of registration process

Find out more about what’s involved on our SPARK page.

Questions? Contact Samantha Hunter at 573-882-6479 or huntersg@health.missouri.edu.

Clinical Trial for Social Communication

The purpose of this clinical trial is to explore the effects on social communication in adolescents and young adults 12-21 years old with autism spectrum disorder.

• Eligibility: Age 12-21
• Time required: Up to 34 weeks
• Location: Thompson Center
• Monetary compensation: $75 for each of 10 study visits
• Contact: Rebecca Bond, rabkg7@health.missouri.edu, 573-882-9457
• Research study directors: David Beversdorf, MD, Benjamin Black, MD

Early Years Study

The goal of this research study is to learn about how behaviors observed in newborns relate to meeting developmental milestones during the first years of life.

• Eligibility: Expectant parents age 18+
• Time required: Participants will submit newborn cry recordings and complete online surveys about baby’s development through age 3
• Location: Online surveys, some families will be invited to the Thompson Center
• Monetary Compensation: up to $265
• Interest form available at https://redcap.link/mutcearly
• Contact: Julie Muckerman, 573-882-1481, mutcearly@umsystem.edu
• Research study director: Stephen Sheinkopf, PhD

Prenatal Stress Study

The purpose of this study is to identify potential biomarkers for the effects of stress in pregnancy in African American/Black women.

• Eligibility: Age 18+ African American/Black women in 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy
• Time required: 45-60 minutes
• Location: Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic or Thompson Center
• Monetary compensation: $25
• Interest form available at https://redcap.link/prenatalstressstudy
• Contact: Kennadie Long, 573-882-1989, klong@health.missouri.edu
• Research study directors: David Beversdorf, MD

RI-CART Adolescent and Youth Study (RAYS)

Brown University researchers are conducting a study examining the challenges and problems that adolescent and young adults experience over the course of adolescence and young adulthood.

AutismEYES

The purpose of this study is to validate the ability of a remote eye gaze tracker to differentiate children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to those with developmental delays. We will also be looking at how well eye gaze correlates with autism symptom severity and language ability.

• Eligibility: Age 2-17 years presenting for an evaluation of ASD.
• Time required: 1-3 visits over the course of 4 months
• Location: Thompson Center
• Compensation: Yes
• Contact: Amanda Moffitt Gunn, 573-884-4456, moffittaj@health.missouri.edu
• Research study director: Kerri Nowell, PhD

Maplight

Participate in a clinical trial exploring the potential effects on social communication and other behaviors.

• Eligibility: Adolescents and adults ages 12-45 with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis may be eligible. A care/study partner, such as a parent or spouse, will also be required.
• Time required: Up to 10 visits and 1 phone call over approximately 25 weeks
• Location: Thompson Center
• Monetary compensation: $50 per completed visit
• Research study directors: Dr. Benjamin Black and Dr. David Beversdorf