ARE WE DIAGNOSING AUTISM AS EARLY AS WE SAY WE CAN?
Participant Letter for Anonymous Surveys
NSU
Florida              
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN 
UNIVERSITY

NSU IRB Protocol Number 2022-16

Who is doing this research study?
 
This person doing this study is Ellen Mattingly M.S., CCC-SLP with NSU College of Health Care Sciences/Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology.  They will be helped by Susan Kabot Faculty Advisor/Dissertation Chair.
 
Why are you asking me to be in this research study?
 
You are being asked to take part in this research study because you are a parent, guardian or primary caretaker of a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) withing the last 24 months
 
Why is this research being done?
 
The purpose of this study is to find out the current mean age of children at the time of their ASD diagnosis and determine if some variables are significant during the ASD diagnostic process.
 
What will I be doing if I agree to be in this research study?
 
You will be taking a one-time, anonymous survey. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. 
 
Are there possible risks and discomforts to me? 
 
This research study involves minimal risk to you. To the best of our knowledge, the things you will be doing have no more risk of harm than you would have in everyday life.
 
What happens if I do not want to be in this research study?
 
You can decide not to participate in this research and it will not be held against you. You can exit the survey at any time.
 
Will it cost me anything? Will I get paid for being in the study?
 
There is no cost for participation in this study. Participation is voluntary and no payment will be provided.
How will you keep my information private?

Your responses are anonymous. Information we learn about you in this research study will be handled in a confidential manner, within the limits of the law.  The investigator will use Survey Monkey which is an online survey site that assists and simplifies the survey process for researchers including survey design, distribution, data collection and analysis.

This online study does not collect any personal  identifying information about the participants. This data will be available to the researcher, the Institutional Review Board and other representatives of this institution. All confidential data will be downloaded by the researcher and will be kept securely on a password protected computer. All data will be kept for 36 months from the end of the study and destroyed after that time by deleting all files associated with this study.  


Who can I talk to about the study?
 
If you have questions, you can contact Ellen Mattingly at (561) 667-3800, that will be readily available during and after normal work hours.  You may also contact faculty advisor Susan Kabot at (954) 632-4817.
 
If you have questions about the study but want to talk to someone else who is not a part of the study, you can call the Nova Southeastern University Institutional Review Board (IRB) at (954) 262-5369 or toll free at 1-866-499-0790 or email at IRB@nova.edu.
 
Do you understand and do you want to be in the study?
 
If you have read the above information and voluntarily wish to participate in this research study, please proceed to the next page.
 
Thank you!

T