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Research Requests

AV regularly receives requests from researchers to advertise opportunities for our community to participate in their research projects.


Each of the research studies listed below are current academic studies researching various aspects of the lives and experiences of individuals within our community.

They include information about the goal of the study, the participant eligibility criteria, what participation involves, and any remuneration or compensation for your time and input.

If you meet the eligibility criteria for any of the below studies and would like to participate, please click the link provided for that study to find out more or to register.

If you would like to know more about any of the studies, please contact the nominated researcher for more information.



Information for researchers

If you are an academic researcher seeking participants for a current study relevant to our community and you would like to advertise your study on our website, we would be happy to assist you with this.

Please complete our research request form.

This form will ask you a series of questions about your study. Our admin team will use your responses to prepare a dot-point summary for upload to our website.

The form will also ask you to upload a PDF of your study's ethics approval. Please note that we cannot upload a study without an ethics approval.

When both of these steps have been completed, our research volunteer will be in contact with you to confirm that we have all of the required information and to advise you of the next steps.


Note: as of February 2023, our Research Support volunteer role is vacant.

All research requests are being processed by our Community Administration Manager, which means that it may take a little longer for your study to be uploaded or for you to receive a response.


If you or someone in your team may be interested in joining the AV team as our Research Support volunteer, we would love to hear from you! Please complete our online application form or contact our AV admin team for more information.




    Studies currently seeking participants



    Relationships between social behaviour and emotional wellbeing

    This study is aiming to understand more about how both autistic and non-autistic people fit in with other people in social situations and how this corresponds with mental health and emotional wellbeing. 

    What organisation is conducting the study?

    University of New England

    Who is conducting this research?

    Wayne Arnold, Student Investigator, University of New England

    Who is eligible to participate?

    This study is seeking both autistic and non-autistic adolescents aged 16 years or 17 years old, and autistic and non-autistic adults aged 18 years or older. The autistic people the study is seeking  are those who do not require substantial support from others. 

    What does participating involve?

    The study will ask you to complete an online survey that should take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. Although it is unlikely that the survey questions will raise any personal or upsetting issues, it is possible that they could cause you psychological or emotional stress. If they do, you may wish to contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or a Beyond Blue counsellor (1300 224 636).

    How will this research help people with Aspergers / autistic people?

    Autistic people who participate might gain additional insight into the strategies they employ to interact with others in social settings and the effects of those strategies on their emotional well-being.

    Once the research findings are disseminated, it is anticipated that the autistic community is likely to benefit from the increased understanding of the role that stigma plays in influencing the social behaviour of autistic people, and recognising the importance of decreasing autism stigma at a societal level.

    How can I register to participate?

     To find out more information or to participate in the study, follow this link.

    Closing date: 31 March 2024


    Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Neurodiversity Affirming Psychology


    The study will capture experiences of Australian autistic adults who have seen a neurodiversity affirming psychologist. We hope to learn about how autistic adults feel about the support received by a neurodiversity affirming psychologist, including positives and negatives, as well as their suggestions of what they believe neurodiversity affirming psychology practice should involve.


    Who is conducting this study?

    Ms. Emily Reuter, honours student, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University.


    Who is eligible to participate?

    Australian autistic adults (18+), English speaking, either self identifying or diagnosed with autism.


    What does participating involve?

    Participants will be required to complete an online questionnaire. Can be completed in one session or several sessions.


    How will this research help people with Aspergers / autistic people?

    By understanding whether neurodiversity affirming psychologists are truly employing neurodiversity affirming therapy and what this would look like, we can improve outcomes for autistic adults seeking specialist neurodiversity affirming psychotherapy and more broadly what psychological practices work best for the neurodivergent community.


    How can I register to participate? Register via the study page on the La Trobe University website.


    Where can I find further information? Via the study page on the La Trobe University website.


    Researcher contact details:  Chief Investigator: Dr Melissa Gilbert: m.gilbert@latrobe.edu.au


    Closing date: 1 May 2024



    TRIGGER WARNING: INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE

    Autistic Experiences of Interpersonal Violence


    This research will seek to examine autistic experiences of interpersonal violence across the lifetime. The aim is to assist in identifying risk and protective factors that increase or reduce vulnerability towards victimisation and to contribute to our understanding of the lifetime impact of such experiences among autistic people of varying gender identities and sexual orientations.
    This research project is autistic-led and has undergone the co-design process.


    University / Institution / Faculty conducting the study

    Kassandrah Cooke, PhD Candidate, The Healthy Autistic Life Lab (HALL) at Deakin University


    Who is eligible to participate?

    Autistic adults (18 years or older) with low support needs (i.e., without a co-occurring intellectual disability) and non-autistic adults (18 years or older) with a previous history of interpersonal violence.


    What does participating involve?

    Participants will be asked to engage in a recruitment briefing (phone call with the primary researcher). You will be able to ask questions about the research and to provide additional verbal consent. Participation will also involve completing an online survey that asks questions relating to demographics, mental health, social behaviour, and violence experiences. Interested participants may also engage in an interview to describe their violence experience(s).


    How will this research help people with Aspergers / autistic people?

    In addition to the aims stated in the above summary, it is also hoped that the findings from this research will assist in identifying key areas for future research, and inform the development and implementation of interventions, policies, or procedures aimed at identifying, preventing, and supporting autistic individuals affected by violence.


    How can I register to participate? Participants can register their interest by contacting the student researcher, Kassandrah Cooke: cookek@deakin.edu.au


    Where can I find further information? Email Kassandrah Cooke: cookek@deakin.edu.au. She can send you a plain language and consent form and arrange a recruitment briefing for interested participants.


    Researcher contact details: Kassandrah Cooke, PhD Candidate at cookek@deakin.edu.au


    Closing date: 31 December 2024




    Does repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), compared to sham rTMS, improve social communication in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?


    We are conducting research to investigate whether a potential new intervention could be useful for people on the autism spectrum. This intervention is called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. TMS is a safe and non-invasive means of stimulating nerve cells in a particular part of the brain via the administration of brief magnetic pulses. TMS has been developed for a range of conditions, including depression.


    Who is conducting this research?

    Children’s Health Queensland, Deakin University, Epworth HealthCare, Monash University, Murdoch University, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia


    Who is eligible to participate?

    Individuals between 14-40 years with a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder by a registered psychiatrist, paediatrician, neurologist, or psychologist.


    What does participating involve?

    This study involves questionnaires and interviews on the topic of quality of life, cognitive assessments (e.g., computer tasks); neurophysiological recording (i.e., EEG), neuroimaging, genetic tests, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Participants will need to travel to Deakin University, Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health (ECIMH), Monash Biomedical Imaging (Monash University). Participants will receive a $200 Prezzee voucher.


    How will this research help people with Aspergers / autistic people?

    The outcome of this study is to establish effective interventions for the core social communicative symptoms in autism.


    How can I register to participate? Visit the study website 


    Where can I find further information? Visit the study website 


    Researcher contact details: Natalia Albein-Urios - natalia.albeinurios@deakin.edu.au


    Closing date: 1 May 2025





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