AASPIRE

02/12/2025

NEW REPORT - Establishing a National Autistic-Led Research Agenda

Members of ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) and members of the Policy and Analytics Center (PAC), based at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, co-led the “Autism Research for Us” symposium.

They have now published a report with the proceedings of the symposium, available at the link:

https://policyimpactproject.org/establishing-a-national-autistic-led-research-agenda/

Invited panels led sessions on each of the four tracks at the symposium:
Biology and Neurology
Health Care
Services and Supports
Adulthood and Aging

Discussion followed each presentation. The report presents the perspectives of invited participants regarding the future of autism research, how research should be done, how autistic people can lead and guide research, gaps in research topics, and ethical conduct of research for the four tracks and cross-cutting topics.

In the past, autism research has mostly been conducted by non-autistic people, and researchers have described autism as something bad that should be fixed. Describing autism in this way has negative effects on how society views and treats autistic people and may even negatively affect how autistic p...

08/21/2024

Does your organization need training on su***de prevention for the autism community?

We are looking for organizations to volunteer to help us test out a new four-part virtual training program.

Reach out [link below] if your organization might be interested!

https://aaspire.org/2024/08/12/looking-for-community-organizations-who-want-to-support-su***de-prevention-for-the-autism-community/

The information posted on this site is consistent with the research reviewed and approved by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (IRB). However, the IRB has not reviewed all material posted on this site. Contact the IRB if you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant. Also contact the IRB if you have questions, complaint, or concerns which you do not feel you can discuss with the investigator. The University of Utah IRB may be reached by phone at (801) 581-3655 or by e-mail at irb@hsc.utah.edu.

06/21/2024

Given how surprisingly high our first Journal Impact Factor was last year for Autism in Adulthood, I was bracing for it to fall this year (and was just hoping it would still be fairly respectable). But guess what - it skyrocketed up to a 9.5!!!

That makes Autism in Adulthood the number 1 ranked journal among all autism journals and all developmental psychology journals. Wow! I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone that has made our journal thrive! Our editors, board members, publishers, peer reviewers, authors, and readers rock!!!

Ultimately, the really goes to show the value of taking an inclusive approach to research and scholarship! Thanks everyone!

01/08/2024

AASPIRE is Recruiting for the Outcomes Project!

Be a part of a new study focused on the outcomes that matter most to autistic adults. We want to see how outcomes change over time and better understand what supports/services best help autistic adults thrive!

If you know anyone who might be interested, please send them to our project website:

https://aaspire.org/projects/outcomes/recruitment/

[image text:

Be a Part of a New Study Focused on the Outcomes that Matter Most to Autistic Adults

AASPIRE (Academic and Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education)

The study is led by AASPIRE (www.aaspire.org) a group of autistic and non-autistic scientists and community members

This Project will help us:
*See how the outcomes that are important to autistic adults change over time
* Better understand what supports ands services may help autistic adults thrive

You may be able to participate in the study if you:
* Are at least 18 years old
* Live in the U.S
* Identify as being autistic or on the autism spectrum (with professional or self-diagnosis)

If you join the study, you will take part in a series of surveys.
* Each survey may take about 1-2 hours to complete
* You can take the survey on your own or with help, in a variety of ways

Examples of Outcomes:
* Self-determination
* Access to Communication
* Community Participation
* Depression
* Anxiety
* Employment t
* Autistic Burnout
* Wellbeing

To learn more, visit https://aaspire.org/outcomes/recruitment/ or contact studies@aaspire.org or 503.725.9634

Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), San Diego State University (SDSU), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and Portland State University (PSU).]

12/01/2022

Are you a person with a developmental disability? Are you autistic? Do you have an intellectual disability?

The Pregnancy Decisions App Project at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is looking for people to interview for their research project about pregnancy and disabilities!

The goal of the research project is to create a phone app for people with developmental disabilities, including autism and intellectual disability.

They want to hear from people with developmental disabilities about what to put in the app. The phone app will help people be more involved in their own decisions about pregnancy. If you are interested in participating in the interview and telling your story, please email Kye Doran at dorank@ohsu.edu or go to www.ohsu.edu/decisions-app.

Reproductive health research conducted at OHSU University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

06/18/2022

AASPIRE is hiring for a research analyst!

Come work with AASPIRE and Dr. Christina Nicolaidis (AASPIRE co-director) on our Outcomes project.

This project focuses on:

1) how the outcomes that are important to autistic adults change over time and

2) to better understand what supports and services may help autistic adults thrive.

You can learn more and apply for the research analyst position here: https://jobs.hrc.pdx.edu/postings/38614

You can read more about our Outcomes project here: https://aaspire.org/projects/outcomes/

This position supports research conducted by Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education’s (AASPIRE), a long-running CBPR research collaborative with the Autistic community. See https://aaspire.org for more information about AASPIRE. The AASPIRE Research assistant would primaril...

04/23/2022

The "It Takes All Kinds of Minds" ITAKOM 2023 Call for Abstracts is Open!

ITAKOM 2023 is looking for new research reports that showcase exciting and creative approaches to understanding neurodiversity, and applying that knowledge. View the call for abstracts here https://itakom.org/call-for-abstr

We are looking for new research reports that showcase exciting and creative approaches to understanding neurodiversity, and applying that knowledge.

04/22/2022

AASPIRE is currently looking for new Community Partners for our Employment Outcomes Measures project! We are looking for autistic people who are or have been employed. We will be meeting about five times between May and July 2022, and you can earn $50 for each two-hour meeting you attend. No research experience is necessary—your lived experience is your research experience!

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04/10/2022

AASPIRE Co-Director Dr. Christina Nicolaidis gave a remote talk on “Participatory Research with Autistic Adults” for the Organization for Autism Research on March 31, 2022. View the recording here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eofFWWHKM4&t=624s

Presented by Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH.The webinar will launch this year’s series on using participatory research approaches with autistic adults. Dr. Ni...

04/09/2022

AASPIRE Co-Director Dr. Dora Raymaker gave a talk on the topic of AASPIRE's newest publication, autism and skilled employment, last November at OCALICONLINE 2021. If you are interested in our newest publication, also check out this recording of the talk! https://youtu.be/McSlQczhLEU

Raymaker, D. (2021, November). Autism and skilled employment: Lessons from employees, supervisors, and support experts [Paper presentation]. OCALICONLINE 2021.

04/09/2022

AASPIRE has a new paper published in the journal Autism, "'[I] don't wanna just be like a cog in the machine': Narratives of autism and skilled employment." Congrats to first author, AASPIRE's Co-Director Dr. Dora Raymaker, as well as the rest of the AASPIRE team! https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/13623613221080813?journalCode=auta

Autistic people experience disparities in employment which may be exacerbated for individuals in skilled employment. Little is known about the experiences of au...

02/12/2022

AASPIRE is excited to collaborate with Dr. Willi Horner Johnson at Oregon Health and Science University on a new NIH-funded project! The goal of the project is to create a mobile phone app that can help people make decisions about pregnancy. The app will be tailored to meet the needs of people with disabilities that affect thinking (including autistic adults and people with intellectual disabilities). https://aaspire.org/projects/pregnancy-planning-application/

We are now looking for new community partners to join our team. You can learn more about how to apply at https://aaspire.org/aaspire-new-community-partner-application/

Come join our team for this great new project!!!

AASPIRE New Community Partner Application APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 11, 2022 The Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) is seeking autistic people ages 18 – 45 to join our research team as community partners. You can learn more about AASPIRE at our website. New ...