Faces of the F.A.C.E. Lab – the Importance of Autism Research
A guest post from Julia Mertens, FACE Lab Research Assistant
“Who do you think made the first stone spears? The Asperger guy. If you were to get rid of all the autism genetics, there would be no more Silicon Valley.”
“We have got to work on keeping these children engaged in the world.”
-Temple Grandin, Autism Advocate
These two quotes by Temple Grandin summarize why we at the F.A.C.E. Lab are
FACE Lab
so passionate about what we do, and why we hope families will participate in autism research. I’ve only been with the F.A.C.E. Lab for a month and a half now, and I have already been humbled by the intelligence and creativity of 10-16 year olds with and without autism. It has been centuries since the human who created the stone spear died, but I can see their legacy in the faces of these kids.
But sometimes our geniuses with autism have to struggle in order to be accepted by society. Research shows that social communication is directly related to success. When almost every job requires an in-person interview, social difficulties can conceal the unique talents and potential of someone with an autism spectrum disorder.
I work at the F.A.C.E. Lab so that I can help improve therapy, and so that those geniuses are in the best position to contribute to our society which desperately needs them.
F.A.C.E. Lab at Emerson College
Currently, our research needs children ages 10-16 with and without autism to participate in our studies. Our study takes place in two sessions, 2-3 hours each. Participants are compensated for their time, and parking is subsidized.
The tasks the child will complete include: standardized tests, watching videos of people talking, answering some questions about the videos, and having a conversation with one of the F.A.C.E. Lab researchers. During some parts of the study, the child will have small stickers on their face to track facial expressions and pain-free electrodes on their hands, clavicles and a rib in order to measure heart rate and skin conductance.
Please check out our website and Facebook for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/FACElabatEmersonCollege?ref=tn_tnmn
If you’d like to participate, have any ideas as to how we can reach out to families, or think of any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact us at facelab@emerson.edu or (617) 824-8710.