Participate in Kent State Autism Study for children birth - 7

[Guest guest]

PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH INVESTIGATING FAMILY EXPERIENCES WITH

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

September, 2008

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Dr. J. Sansosti. I am an Assistant Professor of

School Psychology at Kent State University. As a school psychologist,

I have a special interest in supporting children with autism spectrum

disorders (ASD) and their families. My hope is to gain a better

understanding of the needs of children with ASD in our community. The

Greater Akron Chapter of the Autism Society of America is sending you

this letter, on my behalf, because you have a child between the ages

of birth through seven who has been diagnosed with an ASD and is

either receiving services through this organization or offers support

services for families of children with ASD.

Currently, I am conducting a study in Portage, Summit, Medina, and

Stark counties to learn more about the needs and experiences of

families who have children diagnosed with ASD. I invite you to

participate in this study. Your participation will involve being

interviewed either in person or over the phone. This study will take

approximately 1½ - 2 hours of your time.

By participating in this study, you will be helping me to understand

the needs of young children with ASD and their families. This

information will be beneficial in developing more effective early

identification and intervention programs for children. Fortunately,

this research will not only help children who already have a diagnosis

of ASD, but may also benefit those who have not yet been

diagnosed.

Your decision to take part in this research project is completely

voluntary. There will be no adverse consequences should you choose not

to participate. Organizations which are providing care to

your child will not know whether or not you have agreed to be a part

of this study. Your participation is also confidential, which means

that names and identifying information will not be used when our study

results are presented to others. The risks of participating in this

study are very minimal. You may feel some discomfort while being

interviewed, as we will ask some personal questions about your child

and family. If you feel uncomfortable answering any of the questions,

you may skip the item(s). You are free to withdraw from the study at

anytime. If you choose to discontinue completion of the interview,

there will be no penalty. If you are interested in learning more about

how you can participate in this study, please contact

me at autismstudy@... or at (330) 672-0059. I look forward to

speaking with you.

Sincerely,

J. Sansosti, Ph.D., NCSP

Assistant Professor, School Psychology Program

Kent State University

Educational Foundations and Special Services

P.O. Box 5190 & #9679; Kent, Ohio 44242-0001

330-672-2294 & #9679; Fax 330-672-2312 & #9679; http://efss.educ.kent.edu