Current Research
01
Community Mobility and Participation of Autistic Adults Study (COMPAAS)
The goals of this project are to provide a complete picture of the real-world community mobility and participation of autistic adults and to explore enabling environmental factors that associate with mobility and participation. Eighty autistic adults provide data on their daily activities over 14 days, including geographical data through Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tracking, momentary data through Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), and survey-based data, which is combined with administrative and secondary data.. Funded by NIDDILRR #90IFRE0077
02
Community Autism Peer Specialist Program
This project leverages existing infrastructure to finalize the development of a novel support service provided by peers with lived experience, incorporating input from autistic peer specialists, autism researchers, peer support researchers, and experts in peer support training. We conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of the service while also examining feasibility, acceptability, and implementation procedures in preparation for future large-scale testing and dissemination.
03
Autistic Immigrants in Medicaid program
Immigrants face a range of barriers to access healthcare, such as eligibility restrictions, limited language proficiency, and variable immigration policies. These barriers raise important questions about health disparities in this marginalized group in the U.S. We use Medicaid claims data to examine if health disparities exist among immigrants compared to the U.S. citizens, and if their enrollment rates relate to the local and federal government immigration policies.
04
Racial and ethnic differences in community-based services
This project evaluates and understands racial and ethnic disparities in ASD-related services within the Medicaid program among a nationally representative sample of autistic adults (21-64 years old) using 2016-2019 Medicaid Claims and Area Health Resources Files data. We concentrate on community-based services – those autistic adults typically use outside hospitals or residential care settings because they are intended to promote the independence of autistic people to achieve optimal community living.
