My son and I have participated in a variety of research studies over the past three years. Sometimes we get to go to a child development lab, and sometimes the researchers come to us. When he was a baby I liked going to the labs--it gave me an excuse to get out of the house and have contact with other adult human beings. Now that he is older, I like the studies where people come to us. Here is a brief description of some of the studies you can participate in.

Harvard Lab for Developmental Studies

Harvard University child development studies focus on language, reasoning, and social development. They do research with kids from 3 months until 12 years. I took Morgan to a study about when babies can tell the difference between animate and inanimate objects. He sat on my lap and watched some images on a screen. By tracking his eye movements they could tell what was new and unexpected for him and what matched up to his tiny understanding of the world around him. Harvard gives your child a small toy and reimburses you $5 for travel expenses.

Boston College

Dr. Kristin Bottema-Buetel is currently looking for babies 8 to 26 months for a research study how parental engagement in play impacts language and social development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study will compare typically developing infants to infants with ASD in order to discover the types of engagement and parental language that best support the development of children with ASD.

Boston University Psychology Child Development Lab

Boston University has a variety of different studies they do with children from birth to 12 years, including cultural and emotional intelligence studies, brain development studies, twin studies, research on autism, and more.  Visits to the lab last a half an hour to an hour. The studies take the shape of games and stories, and your child gets a small toy at the end of the study.

Project Play at Northeastern University
(pictured)

Northeastern University's Project Play is our current favorite study to participate in, in part because they actually come to our house. Researches come with a big suitcase of toys for your child to play with. The researchers video you and your child playing with a different toys, then have you fill out a developmental assessment questionnaire. The study hopes to help researchers revise the Developmental Play Assessment-Professional (DPA-P), which helps educators and other service providers identify ways to help children play at more advanced levels. Your child gets a toy at the end of the visit and you get a small gift card for your time.