Faculty and graduate students in the Brainwaves Research Lab in the College of Health and Human Sciences are seeking school-aged volunteers to participate in a research study that examines how children respond to auditory sensory information.

The purpose of the study is to determine if children with disorders such as autism/Asperger’s disorder, who often have difficulty processing sensory information, show different brain activity in response to sensory stimuli than children without disorders.

The study requires participants from two groups of children: One group will have a diagnosis of high-functioning autism/Asperger’s disorder, and the other group will be typically developing children without disabilities. In both groups, participants should be between the ages of 5 and 13 years old and have normal or corrected vision and hearing. Participants in both groups should also be without a history of epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, significant brain injury or cerebral palsy.

The study will use both electroencephalography (EEG) obtained via sensors in a cap made of elastic fabric placed on the child’s head, and behavioral testing (paper and pencil “games”). The study involves two visits, each lasting approximately two hours, to the Brainwaves Research Lab in Room 304 of the Gifford Building at CSU.

All children will receive a T-shirt or mug for the first visit and for the second visit they will be offered another T-shirt, mug, or $15 for participating in this study.

For more information about the study, or if you are interested in having your child participate, contact Jewel Crasta at (970) 682-8031 or jewel.crasta@colostate.edu.

This study has been approved by the CSU Institutional Review Board (Protocols 09-634H and 09-652H).