Summer Scholars Program for Autistic Teens

Study Title: A Comparison of Two School-Based Interventions to Manage Anxiety in Autistic Students
PI: Judy Reaven, Ph.D.
COMIRB: 23-0521
Funding: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute: PCORI#: IDD-2022C1-26330; 4/1/2024 – 3/31/2026

Research Team: 

Ainsley Losh, Caitlin Middleton, Lindsey DeVries, Lisa Hayutin, Emily Eisman, & Judy Reaven

What is the goal of the Summer Scholars Program? 

We created the Summer Scholars program to engage autistic youth between the ages of 12-18 in research. The program was 8 weeks and scholars met for 2 hours/week via Zoom with an initial in-person meeting. Meetings consisted of a didactic portion about research topics (e.g., ethics, introduction to qualitative methods, career panel) and an individual portion where teens worked 1:1 with a team member to develop their final study-related project. The program had four goals for participants:

1. Gain knowledge about conducting social-behavioral research.
2. Share lived expertise to inform the ongoing study.
3. Work with the research team to create a product that contributes to the study.
4. Consider ongoing participation on our Teen Advisory Board.

What did we find? 

The Summer Scholars had nearly 100% attendance and created three impactful projects: a video about identifying anxiety among autistic youth, a video about study progress/updates, and an informational pamphlet about Facing Your Fears (FYF). We also asked teens for feedback about the Summer Scholars program.

All participants said their overall experience was “very good” or “excellent.” All participants “agreed” that they (1) felt they made a meaningful contribution to the research team, (2) learned about conducting social behavioral research, and (3) would recommend the program to other teens. All participants either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they liked working with research team members and creating their final projects.

Final projects included a video to raise awareness of anxiety among autistic youth, a video with study updates for research participants, and a pamphlet about FYF-S to promote sustainability.   

1. Video: Autism and Anxiety
2. Video: Overview of Study, Progress Updates, and Next Steps
3. Pamphlet on Facing Your Fears-School

Why is this important? 

Autistic youth voices have historically been excluded from youth-centered autism research. This project presents an example of engaging autistic teens in research in a meaningful, mutually beneficial way. This work promotes neuro-affirming, youth-centered research procedures and supports autistic teens in ongoing engagement in research.

Next Steps?

We are incorporating the summer scholars’ research products into our procedures (e.g., sharing videos at trainings) and updates to the community. All the summer scholars expressed potential or definite interest in continued participation with our Teen Advisory Board, which meets biannually. We also hope to incorporate more of their feedback to offer a second round of Summer Scholars in Summer 2026. 

Please email Dr. Judy Reaven for more information about the study.