Nation's Largest Online Autism Research Initiative Launches Research Survey for Grandparents of Children With Autism

Nation's Largest Online Autism Research Initiative Launches Research Survey
for Grandparents of Children With Autism

Interactive Autism Network invites grandparents to share valuable experiences

BALTIMORE, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since its launch in 2007, the
Interactive Autism Network (IAN) has helped to accelerate the pace of autism
research by gathering valuable information online from individuals on the
autism spectrum and their parents. Today, the IAN Project launches the
Grandparents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Survey, giving
grandparents a well-deserved voice in the autism research community.

"As soon as the IAN Project began, grandparents of children with autism
spectrum disorders (ASDs) began contacting the research team," said Dr. Paul
Law, Director of the IAN Project at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in
Baltimore, Maryland. "They felt that they had important insights about their
grandchildren and were telling us that they had been very much affected by the
experience of helping raise a child on the autism spectrum. They wanted to
participate in research and to tell their stories."

The IAN Project has the largest pool of autism data in the world, with over
30,000 registrants. However, the IAN research team came to realize that little
is known about the extent of grandparents' participation in supporting
families of children with ASD, or about the impact that having a grandchild
with an ASD has on the grandparents themselves. The new survey will explore
many aspects of having a grandchild on the spectrum, including the degree to
which grandparents provide child care, transportation to medical or treatment
appointments, and financial support. It is hoped that the results will help
researchers, policymakers and advocates learn about the experiences and
opinions of grandparents of children with an ASD, and advance efforts to
advocate for improved services and resources.

Grandparents residing in the United States and its territories are invited to
complete the anonymous internet survey. Grandparents can have a biological,
adoptive, or step-relationship with their grandchild on the autism spectrum,
and the grandchild can be of any age. Grandparents can contact IAN Research at
ian@ianproject.org or phone toll-free at 1-866-348-3440 with any questions.

Learn more about the survey.
Learn more about the IAN Project.

The IAN Project is supported by Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization
dedicated to increasing awareness about the growing autism health crisis and
raising funds for critical autism research.

About the Kennedy Krieger Institute
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents
with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, the Kennedy Krieger
Institute in Baltimore, MD serves more than 13,000 individuals each year
through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and
school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for
children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of
investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders
develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis. For more
information on Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.

SOURCE Kennedy Krieger Institute

Megan Lustig, +1-202-955-6222 x2586, mlustig@spectrumscience.com