Autism Research

Autism Research

Autism Research

By participating in autism clinical trials and other autism research at Rush, your family can access new treatments while helping the entire autism community.

By participating in autism clinical trials and other autism research at Rush, your family can access new treatments while helping the entire autism community.

Rush is a leading center for autism research. Our team is constantly seeking to improve the world's understanding of autism — and find new treatments.

To help achieve these goals, we run clinical trials and other research studies. By participating in this research, you can help your family and the autism community as a whole.

Why Participate in Research?

Participating in research can have many benefits for you and your family:

  • Careful evaluation of your or your child's strengths and weaknesses
  • Access to innovative treatments that are not yet widely available
  • Close monitoring and personalized attention
  • Opportunity to work with expert research staff
  • Opportunity to help researchers learn more about autism — which could ultimately lead to better treatments for people with autism

Our Areas of Research

Autism researchers at Rush work independently and in collaboration with other local and national leaders in Autism research. Through clinical trials and other research projects, we investigate the following:

  • Causes of autism: What biological and genetic factors contribute to autism? By working to find answers, we can better personalize treatment approaches.
  • New treatments for autism: We run and help run clinical trials of new treatments, including medications, behavioral therapies and devices.
  • Autism in community and educational settings: We run studies and design programs to help autism interventions work better in real-world community or education settings.
  • Digital medicine: We often work with technology developers to test digital tools designed to measure and improve behavior and development in autism.

Research Studies Currently Enrolling Participants

You can find a continually updated list of open autism research studies at Rush in our clinical trials database.

If you're looking for a specific study and don't see it below, it's possible the study is no longer enrolling. Please check back frequently, as we're always adding new studies. If you have any questions about past, future or current studies, please email madison_t_printen@rush.edu.

Ages 1.5 – 7

Mirror Me: Expanding Access to Early Intervention for Autism
The purpose of this study is to learn how families use websites to learn strategies for playing and interacting with young children. You will receive access to the Mirror Me online website and have the chance to work through the online modules at your own pace. Click the link below to begin.

Ages 1 – 12

Argus MDS Phase II: Developing digital tools for diagnosis and treatment monitoring

Ages 5 – 17

Anchor Autism Clinical Study: Clinical research study for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
This study is closed for enrollment.

All Ages

SPARK: Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge

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