As a new semester starts, we welcomed EIGHT new undergraduate research assistants and two master’s students from Speech and Hearing Sciences. Welcome to the lab Anaam, Macey, Amanda, Kim, Gavin, Henry, Tyler, Kedrianna, Emma and Brenna! We are excited to have you as part of the team.
Dr. Harrop presented at the Science of Autism Seminar Series, co-hosted by Southern Connecticut State University and Yale University. The panel was focused on sex and gender in autism, with Dr. Harrop presenting data from UNC TEACCH. Dr. Harrop was joined by Dr. Fred Volkmar and Dr. Roald Øien. Thank you for the invite and … Read more
Dr. Tyler McFayden officially joined the Harrop Lab as our first postdoctoral fellow. Dr. McFayden completed her doctoral training at Virgina Tech and her internship here at UNC at the Carolina Institute in Developmental Disabilities. She is funded through a CIDD T32 Postdoctoral Training Fellowship and will be co-mentored by Dr. Harrop and Dr. Mike … Read more
The SAGA study was officially launched in July 2022, opening our doors to (hopefully) 140 children and their families over the next five years. This study will be one of the largest longitudinal studies of autistic females and will also chart gender identity and concept development in young children. Participation in the study involves visiting … Read more
Our BIDD COVID Team published an article, Occupational Disruption: The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Behavioral Inflexibility and Anxiety of Autistic Children, in The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. The study reports the mixed-methods approach we took to capture how the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic impact autistic individuals and their families. … Read more
After three years with the Harrop Lab, we bid a fond farewell to Cathy Perry. Cathy has been a part of the lab since we started and helped us grow to where we are today. She plans to apply for graduate school this year and hopes to become a mental health counsellor.
Dr. Harrop, lab manager, Cathy Perry, and graduate students, Orla Putnam and Maddie Swisher all attended the 2022 Conference for the International Society for Autism Research in Austin in May. After two years of remote conferencing, the lab was excited to present three posters and two talks. Orla presented her data from the Gendered Experiences … Read more
In May we said goodbye to our graduating seniors, Isa Lucarelli and Taylor Niblack. Thank you for all your hard work over the past few years. We also said goodbye to Maddie Swisher, who graduated from the master’s in clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counselling, and Abri Gross, our HDFS Intern.
Former doctoral student, Dr. Aaron Dallman, and the Project BIDD Team recently published a brief report in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders detailing the psychometric properties of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale in autistic and non-autistic youth ages 3 to 17.
Second year SPHS Graduate Student, Orla Putnam, and Dr. Harrop were awarded an NC TraCS Stakeholder Engagement Voucher to support ongoing involvement of autistic stakeholders in our research. We will continue to work with Genessa Eddy, an autistic woman who has been an integral part of our Gendered Experiences of Autism Research (GEAR project).