The SAGA Study

The Sex, Gender, and Camouflage in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multimodal, Accelerated Longitudinal Design (SAGA) Study is a five year longitudinal study examining sex differences in the development of children with and without a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder ages 4-8-years-old.

The SAGA Study is a multi-site study between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Children’s National. We aim to see 120 participants at UNC and another 120 participants at CHOP, totaling to 240 participants and families involved in the study! Dr. Harrop’s team collaborates with Dr. Julia Parish-Morris and her team at CHOP, and Dr. John Strang at Children’s National.

The study involves four visits over the course of two years, spaced six months apart. During our visits participants complete developmental assessments, language assessments, the autism diagnosis observational schedule, eye tracking, and talk about their friends, things they like to do, and how they feel about themselves as a girl/boy.

Visit the SAGA Study’s webpage on NIH RePorter!

We are actively recruiting kiddos to come visit us! If you or someone you know has a child between the ages of 4- and 8-years-old, who may be interested in participating in our study, please contact our team at sagastudy@unc.edu for more information!

Check Out Some Art Work From Our SAGA Artists!