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Child Attention and Autism Research and Evaluation (CAARE) Lab
On This Page
- Assessing ASD Knowledge and Stigmas
- Examining Local Service Use Disparities
- Developing and implementing interventions and assessment approaches to reduce disparities
- Examining social attention impairment in ASD
- Courses and Student Opportunities Related to the CAARE Lab
- Participate in Research
- Autism Clinical Services at UGA
- Community Resources
- The CAARE Lab Team
- In Loving Memory
- Contact Us
The CAARE Lab works to identify behaviors and movements associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how they relate to each other. We also work to increase the global knowledge and understanding of ASD and disparities in services.
Assessing ASD Knowledge and Stigmas
- Validating a new measure of ASD knowledge titled, The Autism Stigma & Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q) in cross-cultural contexts
- Assessing ASD knowledge or stigmas of ASD in low- and middle-income countries such as Tanzania, Mongolia, and China.
- Using implicit and explicit measures to examine ASD stigmas and the negative impact
Researchers
Harrison, A.J., Paff, M.L., & Kaff, M.S. (2019). A Follow-up Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 57, 28-34. Harrison, A.J., Bradshaw, L.P. Naqvi, N., Paff, M.L., & Campbell, J.M. (2017). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q). *Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(10), 3281-3295. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3242-x Harrison, A.J, Slane. M.M., Hoang, L., & Campbell, J.M. (2017). An International Review of Autism Knowledge Assessment Measures. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. Advance online publication, 21(3) 262-275. DOI: 10.1177/1362361316638786 Harrison, A.J.†, Bisson, J.B. †, & Laws, C.B. † (in press). Impact of an inclusive postsecondary education program on implicit and explicit attitudes toward intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. *† Note: All authors made equal contribution to this manuscript
Examining Local Service Use Disparities
- Identifying factors (individual, interpersonal and community) that contribute to an underutilization of early childhood learning services (early intervention and early childhood special education) in local schools.
- Assessing factors that contribute to disparities in ASD assessment and treatment services
Researchers
Harrison, A.J., Long, K.A., Tommet, D.C., & Jones, R.N. (2017). Examining the role of race, ethnicity, and gender on social and behavioral ratings within the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(9), 2770-2782
Developing and implementing interventions and assessment approaches to reduce disparities
- Implementing interventions among non-English-speaking parents and teachers to help increase knowledge of behavior modification strategies that can be used to improve child functional outcomes using verbal didactics, pictorial handouts, interpreters, and strategy modeling. Assessing the efficacy of these interventions using the ASK-Q.
- Developing individual and community intervention approaches to address low ASD knowledge and stigmas in low-income countries.
Researchers
Harrison, A., Long, K.A., Manji, K.P. & Blane, K.K. (2016). Development of a brief behavioral intervention for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Tanzania. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 54(3), 187-201. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-54.3.187. Harrison, A., Zimak, E., Sheinkopf, S.J., Manji, K. P., Morrow, E.M. (2014). Observation-centered approach to ASD assessment in Tanzania. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 52(5), 330-347.
Examining social attention impairment in ASD
- Examining cross-cultural differences in social attentional processes
- Assessing how distinct social attention behaviors may relate to one another.
- Examining the cascading effects of social attentional impairments, especially joint attention (JA), on various domains of functioning using eye tracking, large, shared data sets, and behavioral coding.
- Identifying causal mechanisms that lead to the differential development of social attention in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Researchers
Harrison, A.J., Lu, Z., McLean, R., & Sheinkopf, S.J. (2016). Cognitive and adaptive correlates of an ADOS derived joint attention composite. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 29, 66-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2016.07.001 Johnson, A. L., Gillis, J., & Romanczyk, R. (2012). Quantifying and correlating social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders using eye-tracking methodologies, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6, 1053-1060.
Participate in Research
Autism Stigma Study
We are looking for young adults (age 18 and older) with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified to participate in our study. Participation involves an in-person interview intended to examine the way that having autism spectrum disorder may impact young adults. This process will take about one hour, and all participants receive one $30 Target gift card for their time.
Are you a Parent of a Child Age 6 or Younger?
We are conducting a study about family experiences accessing early childhood education. We will ask parents or primary caregivers to:
- Complete several questionnaires
- Take part in a face-to-face interview with a researcher
Participation will take no more than two hours and will be scheduled at your convenience. This can take place at UGA or in your home. We want to make participation easy for you! Each participant will receive a $30 gift card for their time.
Community Resources
We have assembled a list of professionals in the Athens area that provide services such as ABA services, diagnostic services, and other therapy services.
The CAARE Lab Team
Ashley Johnson Harrison is the lab director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology (School Psychology).
In Loving Memory
Brianna Cochran
November 30, 1994 – March 25, 2015
Brianna was an undergrad research assistant in the CAARE lab. She loved working with kids and planned to be a pediatric surgeon. She enjoyed traveling and learning about the world. Brianna was truly a lovely young woman, inside and out. Her vibrancy, kindness, and extraordinary gift for making others feel special will be something that we will miss every day.
Contact Us
- Phone: 706-542-9712
- Email: caarelab@uga.edu