Research that Benefits Children and Families

My sister has a set of fraternal twins who have been subjects of a twin study at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN.

My nephews are 16-years old now, but went through the first study when they were two. One of the boys has severe autism, while the other does not show any signs of autism.

The first study they were involved in was a twin study involving children with autism, where their twin did not have autism. The study used the Batelle Developmental Inventory to compare the differences between the two boys on their performance. The boys attended two sessions during the study which were six weeks apart. As part of the research process each child was screened for Fragile X and she learned that her son did not have Fragile X.

The information that was gained from this research project was used to develop an early detection assessment tool.  Researchers were able to come up with a method (or an instrument) to detect autism before the age of three.

My sister has explained that as a research subject (or a parent of a research subject) she was not given the specifics of the study.

My nephew who has the autism, has been a subject in three additional studies, two on autism and the third was a gene study.

Due to confidentiality my sister could not divulge specifics of any of the studies as she had to sign confidentiality statements.
 

My Personal Research Journey

I have chosen the topic of Social-Emotional Development as my topic for the simulation. I have chosen this topic because since my sudden entry into the field of Early Care and Education I have attended many training seminars and conferences and this topic seems to always be a topic choice at most trainings. I took several trainings on social-emotional development, which peaked my interest and enhanced my knowledge of the topic. I feel there are many parents and educators who do not understand the importance of healthy social-emotional development and I have a desire to gently nudge others into becoming aware of its importance.

I was (am) very apprehensive about this class because it definitely takes me out of my comfort zone. I am not knowledgeable in the area of research; and so often research uses lingo and terms of which I am not familiar and honestly, I get confused and frustrated. The amount of information in research papers is also overwhelming, however, last week we learned we did not have to understand the statistical information and that takes a huge burden off my shoulders.

Constructing the research chart is good because it helps me to focus on a couple of topics and really understand them better. Collaborating with colleagues is always an added benefit. We are able to share resources and support one another in this journey. I am happy to help in any way I am able and I definitely am open to any advice and tips from my colleagues.