Thank you for your interest in our research! We have several research studies that are currently enrolling participants - particularly families who have at least one family member with a condition like autism, language impairment, or another neurodevelopmental disorder; and/or who are gifted and talented. All of our studies can be completed either from the comfort of your home or in person, whichever is more convenient for you!
Please don't hesitate to contact our research team with any questions you may have.
Email: info@devgenes.org
Phone: 319.335.8882
devGenes: Genetic Study of Neurodevelopmental Conditions
We are currently recruiting participants with a variety of neurodevelopmental conditions, including:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Developmental delay
- Intellectual disability
- Pediatric epilepsy
If you (or one of your family members) have been diagnosed with one or more of those conditions, you are eligible to participate in our research study!
Participation takes roughly 20 minutes and can be completed in the comfort of your own home. We will send you a mailed kit containing:
- Consent form
- Basic information sheet
- Saliva collection kit
- Behavioral/medical history questionnaire
- Prepaid return mailer
Biological parents, regardless of affected status, are encouraged to participate as well.
If your family is interested in participating, please email us at info@devgenes.org.
Genetic Study of High Ability/Twice-Exceptionality
Your DNA could help us better understand the genetics of high ability - with or without the presence of developmental difficulties! We are currently recruiting participants who have participated in a program for gifted and talented individuals, and may have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
- Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADD/ADHD)
A neurodevelopmental condition diagnosis is not required to participate in this study; any high-ability individuals are eligible. Participation takes roughly 20 minutes and can be completed in the comfort of your own home. We will send you a mailed kit containing:
- Consent form
- Basic information sheet
- Saliva collection kit
- Behavioral/medical history questionnaire
- Prepaid return mailer
Click here to learn more!
If you or your family member is interested in participating, please email us at info@devgenes.org.
Creativity Survey
Any individual over the age of 18, who attended grade school in Iowa at any point from 1980 onward, is invited to take part in a survey of creativity, scholastic performance and media consumption. The goal of this survey is to better understand the relationship between mental health and creative expression.
The survey should take no more than 15 minutes or so to complete, and you are free to stop participation at any time. At the end of the survey you will be given the option to provide your contact information if you wish to be entered into a drawing for one of forty $25 Amazon gift cards. In addition, participants who went to grade school in Iowa and who provide consent for us to access standardized test results will be eligible for an additional drawing for one of twenty $50 Amazon gift cards (maximum total compensation is $75 in Amazon gift cards). This is completely voluntary, and if you choose not to enter your information, your survey answers will be totally anonymous.
To participate in the survey, please click here:
https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2hQ5ssDr3heYi5n
Genetic Study of Language Disorders
Your DNA could help us better understand the genetics of language disorders! We are currently recruiting participants who have been diagnosed with:
- Language impairment
- Expressive language disorder
- Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder
- Phonological/articulation disorder
- Reading disorder
- Dyslexia
- Apraxia
- Other developmental disorders of speech and language
Participation takes roughly 20 minutes and can be completed in the comfort of your own home. We will send you a mailed kit containing:
- Consent form
- Basic information sheet
- Saliva collection kit
- Behavioral/medical history questionnaire
- Prepaid return mailer
If you or your family member is interested in participating, please email us at info@devgenes.org.
SPARK Study
You’re invited to register with SPARK, a large, online research partnership that seeks to improve the lives of people with autism through research. The University of Iowa is one of a network of clinical sites—autism centers and research institutions—that SPARK has partnered with across the country.
The goal of SPARK is to accelerate autism research in order to gain a better understanding of causes and treatments for autism. By building a community of tens of thousands of individuals with autism and their biological family members who provide behavioral and genetic data, SPARK will be the largest autism research study to date.
You can register online here: SPARKforAutism.org/UIowa
Frequently Asked Questions
What is genomic research?
What is the role of genetics in neurodevelopmental conditions?
Where is your lab located?
When does my participation in this study end?
I don't have any of these conditions, but my child does. Why do you want my DNA and how could this be genetic?
Is compensation provided?
Is this a way for me to get my genome sequenced for free? Will I get my results back?
What is genomic research?
Genomics is the study of a person’s genes, and how those genes interact with each other as well as with the person’s environment. The goal of genomic research is to determine how those interactions are related to complex diseases and disorders that are affected by both genetic and environmental factors.
What is the role of genetics in neurodevelopmental conditions?
Multiple factors play a role in the development of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, but genetics appear to have the greatest effect. For example, less than 2% of children in the US have been diagnosed with autism, but if your sibling has autism then you have a ~20% chance of developing autism. If your fraternal twin has autism then you have a ~35% chance, and if your identical twin has autism then you have a ~70% chance. The influence of genetics in these neurodevelopmental conditions is clear, but the exact details are in the process of being determined.
Where is your lab located?
Our lab is located in B030 Medical Laboratories, which is right next to the University of Iowa Hospital. For directions to our lab please click here.
When does my participation in this study end?
The majority of your participation in this study ends after the initial enrollment contact. However, we may send you surveys periodically in order to collect more information about you and/or your child’s development after your initial visit. Your participation in these follow-up surveys is purely voluntary.
In addition, the conditions for enrolling as a participant in this study require that you agree to be open to contact regarding follow-up studies. If you change your mind at any point after your participation, you can contact us and ask to be removed from our list of follow-up participants.
I don't have any of these conditions, but my child does. Why do you want my DNA and how could this be genetic?
Sometimes a random mutation will occur in either the father's sperm or the mother's egg, and consequently the child may carry a change to their genetic code that neither the father nor the mother experienced as part of their own development. It is vital to have the DNA of parents as a point of reference when looking for genetic causes of these conditions. In other cases, the parents may have genetic differences that do indeed contribute to the condition observed in their child, but they might not show symptoms themselves because they also have other protective factors in their genomes. Part of our research interest is in better understanding why genetic risk factors manifest themselves clinically in some people but not in others.
Is compensation provided?
Children will be offered a small prize at the end of the study if participating in person.
Is this a way for me to get my genome sequenced for free? Will I get my results back?
If we find a genetic variant that has substantial evidence that suggests a role in the conditions mentioned above, we will contact you regarding participation in follow-up studies. We will not return genetic results that do not have a strong connection to the conditions investigated in this study. It is not a guarantee that you will receive any information about your family members' genomes, and genetic research is not a substitute for medical genetic testing.