Research
Current Projects
Southern California Child Development Survey (SoCal CDS) ⟩
insp!re Lab
- Qualifications: Infants 6-16 months born in Southern California
- Participation: Families will complete an online questionnaire about your child’s development that takes approximately 15 minutes.
- Compensation: Participants will be entered to win a $50 gift card (1 in 50 chance of winning)
Get more information and learn how to participate
Sensory and Social Development in Infants and Toddlers (SASI) ⟩
insp!re Lab
- Qualifications: Infants 6-16 months who have participated in the entrance questionnaire (SoCal CDS study) with no known genetic conditions or significant physical, vision, or hearing impairments.
- Participation: Families will attend up to 5 in-person visits and complete a variety of assessments/activities with their child and complete online questionnaires. In person visits range from 1-4 hours and questionnaires take approximately 1-1.5 hours to complete.
- Compensation: Up to $400 for participation in all study time points. You will also receive a detailed clinical report summarizing your child’s performance on standardized measures after visits 2 and 5.
Get more information and learn how to participate
Screening for Autism Risk in Preterm Infants (SARP) ⟩
insp!re Lab
- Qualifications: Preterm infants (born before 37 weeks gestation) between 6 to 18 months adjusted age who are currently receiving care at the High-Risk Infant Follow-Up (HRIF) Clinic at LA General Medical Center.
- Participation: During the child’s well-child check appointments, families will complete two questionnaires that take approximately 20 minutes. In addition, infants will participate in a 10-minute behavioral observation, during which researchers will introduce various play toys to assess their responses.
- Compensation: Families who complete the study will receive a $10 target gift card per encounter as a token of appreciation for their time and participation.
Get more information and learn how to participate
Start: Jan 2019
Brain Activity and Behavioral Indicators of Sensory Processing (BABeIS) ⟩
insp!re Lab
Infant participant wearing EEG cap in the insp!re lab BABeIS is an in-person study that aims to understand the brain-behavior connection in relation to sensory processing in infants 6-16 months. Participants will come to the Insp!re lab for a two hour visit. During the visit, infants will wear the EEG cap (see picture) while watching a silent movie and listening to a series of beeps. The EEG cap is completely safe for infants and will feel like wearing a swimming cap. The cap has soft sponges that will touch the infant’s head. Additionally, parents will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires about their child’s behaviors. If you are interested in participating or hearing more, please contact the study team at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (323) 442-2520.
Completed Projects
Moving Beyond the Average: Building a Comprehensive Model of Classroom Quality that Incorporates Children’s Individual Experiences ⟩
insp!re Lab
The goal of this project is to explore how individual children's engagement varies within classrooms and the degree to which variation in child engagement is associated with children's outcomes. Specifically, the research team aims to (i) evaluate the degree to which the average engagement of…
Period: Sep 2020 – Jul 2022
Federal Funding $37,648
Early Behavioral Characteristics and Biobehavioral Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Novel Parent-Infant Interaction Paradigm ⟩
insp!re Lab
This pilot study will examine biobehavioral synchrony during mother-child interactions associated with infants’ at-risk status for later diagnosis of ASD. The findings will provide insights into the relationship between the patterns of the synchrony and early behavioral risk markers of ASD…
Period: Nov 2018 – Aug 2020
Intramural Funding $25,000
First Years Inventory (FYI) Pilot Study to Culturally Diverse Populations in Los Angeles ⟩
insp!re Lab
Young participant plays with blocks in the insp!re lab This study aims to add new data to our team’s ongoing research to identify early risk markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and develop better screening tools for infants in the general population. In our previous study in North Carolina,…
Period: Nov 2018 – Aug 2020
Private Funding $3,000
Parents and Infants Engaged (PIE) ⟩
insp!re Lab
The PIE study is a “proof of concept” evaluation of PIE, an intervention for infants at-risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. This study is a two-site collaboration at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of Southern California (USC Chan Division). It examines…
Period: Aug 2017 – Jul 2020
Federal Funding $79,172
Evaluation of a Novel Intervention for Infants at Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders ⟩
insp!re Lab
This project aims to develop and test a parent coaching model for increasing awareness of sensory modulation and communication functions to increase social engagement for infants at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a community sample. Our current ability to detect infants at-risk for…
Period: Aug 2017 – Jul 2020
Federal Funding $79,172
Parent-Infant Engaged: Extension Pilot Study to Culturally Diverse Populations in Los Angeles ⟩
insp!re Lab
This study aims to develop more culturally sensitive early screening tool to identify early risk markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for ethnic minority infants in the general population. The First Years Inventory (FYI; Baranek et al., 2013) is a newly revised screener that has been normed…
Period: Nov 2018 – May 2020
Intramural Funding $3,000
Parent-Infant Physiology Study (PIPS) ⟩
insp!re Lab
insp!re team watch a young participant playing in the lab This pilot study examines the relationship between biobehavioral synchrony during mother-infant interactions and early developmental outcomes. The study aims to understand individual differences in behavioral and physiological patterns of…
Period: Nov 2018 – Mar 2020
Intramural Funding $25,000
Interdisciplinary Leadership in ASD: Optimizing Research-Practice Partnerships for Evidence-Based Outcomes ⟩
insp!re Lab
Period: Feb 2017 – Jul 2019
Federal Funding $29,875
Sensory Experiences Project (SEP) ⟩
insp!re Lab
Young participant plays with a toy puffer fish in the insp!re lab The SEP was a 10-year longitudinal study that has concluded enrollment and is in the data analysis phase. The purpose of this project was to explain the development, functional impact, and pathogenesis of unusual sensory experiences…
Period: Jul 2008 – Jun 2014
Federal Funding $2,516,180
