Circumscribed Interests in Asperger's and High Functioning Autism

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My name is Jemma Deegan and I am conducting a study on circumscribed interests in Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism as part of my master’s thesis. I am inviting you to take part in my study because your knowledge and experience as a parent would be a valuable contribution to research in this area. I would greatly appreciate your time and involvement in my study.

About: Circumscribed interests are a feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and may be described as unusual preoccupations that are intensely focused. The aim of my research is to investigate the interests of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), their types of interests, and the role of these interests in the everyday lives of individuals and their families.

Little is known about how these interests differ to those of children without an ASD, and research on these behaviours may help identify causes of the disorder. Intervention therapies may also benefit from the knowledge by tapping into the interests of individuals as a means of motivation and engagement.

Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to take part, you will answer a questionnaire that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Your information will remain anonymous and will only be accessed by the researcher and stored securely during the research project. Under no circumstances will identifiable responses be provided to any other third party. The final results of the overall study will be presented as part of my thesis, and may be submitted for publication or presentation.

Many thanks in advance,
Jemma Deegan
School of Applied Psychology
University College Cork