Informed Consent for Study: AI-Powered Supports for Neurodivergent Minds
We are asking you to participate in a research study titled “AI-Powered Supports for Neurodivergent Minds”. We will describe this study to you and answer any of your questions. This study is being led by Shannan Palma, PhD, Founder and CEO of ITI Assistive Technologies Inc. This study is funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
All participants will be given a link to this informed consent documentation via email after passing the participant screener and in the email invitation to sign up for a focus group slot, as well as through the beta tester terms of service.
What the study is about
The purpose of this research is to identify strategies to improve the medical/behavioral health of Autistic / ADHD adults, specifically around improving measures of positive wellbeing and reducing burnout-risk among Autistic / ADHD adults. We will then evaluate the capacity of our artificial intelligence (AI)-powered decision-making tool, Decide, to provide effective adaptive supports.
Basically, we want to come up with some shared language for what it’s like when people with brains like ours feel well and are thriving and then see if the tool we built helps us to get there.
What we will ask you to do
Beta Testers
If you sign up to be a beta tester for the app, you will receive an invitation to join the test group as soon as it opens.
Because Decide is part of our research, we ask all beta users to agree to share their anonymized data (app usage data not linked to your name or email) for research purposes. We will also ask you to complete two brief surveys:
- 13 questions about yourself when you first log into the app
- 10 questions about your experiences using the app two weeks after completing the first survey
Consent and surveys will be administered through the app after you create an account. If you do not want to participate in research, we encourage you to try the app when it publicly launches in early 2025. Follow us on Instagram @itiassist and sign up for email updates.
Focus Group Participants
Focus group participants will take a participant screener to see if you are qualified to participate in this round (2 min), as well as a short research survey to collect demographic and wellbeing information. (5 min).
If you mark that you are interested in participating in a focus group, you will be sent a link to sign up for a time that works for you. You may choose between virtual or in person options. In-person focus groups will take place at the Social Impact Alliance (1289 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212). Please note that the SIA location is not wheelchair accessible.
There are a limited number of focus group spots available, so please sign up early to reserve your spot.
During the focus group, we will ask you to give feedback on our proposed definition of medical and behavioral health and share what wellbeing and burnout feel like in your body and brain and how they impact your daily life. As additional topics come up in the group discussion, we may ask follow-up questions to explore them. The focus group will take about 30 minutes of your time.
If we are on zoom, you may leave your camera on or off – it’s up to you. You may participate by voice, through the chat, or through a communication regulation partner (CRP).
If you need a CRP, we will provide a $25 Amazon gift card for you to give to them to assist you during the session in addition to the gift card you will receive for participating.
When you complete both the research survey and a focus group, you will receive a $25 gift card.
Risks and discomforts
Because we’re talking about wellbeing, we may also discuss its opposite – times when we’ve felt overwhelmed or burnt-out. There is a risk you may experience feelings of sadness or anxiety when remembering hard times.
Benefits
If you join the beta test group, you will receive free access to Decide before it is available to the public.
In addition, information from this study may benefit other people now and in the future through updates we make to Decide and through recommendations we make to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities about what wellbeing means to Autistic/ADHD adults and how AI-powered supports can be used to support the medical and behavioral health of Autistic/ADHD adults.
Incentives for participation
If you complete both the research survey and a focus group, you will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
Your name and contact information may need to be shared with ITI Assistive Technologies Inc finance staff to process your payment, but they will not receive any research data or other details about the study.
Privacy/Confidentiality/Data Security
Each participant will receive an anonymized research ID number. Their data will be stored with that ID number separate from their identifying information prior to analysis.
We will do our best to keep your participation in this research study confidential to the extent permitted by law; however, it is possible that other people may need to review the research records and may find out about your participation in this study. For example, the following people/groups may check and copy records about this research:
- The Office for Human Research Protections in the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The research study sponsor, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Please note that the surveys are being conducted with the help of Survey Monkey, a company not affiliated with ITI and with its own privacy and security policies that you can find at its website. We anticipate that your participation in this survey presents no greater risk than everyday use of the Internet.
Please note that email communication is neither private nor secure. Though we are taking precautions to protect your privacy, you should be aware that information sent through e-mail could be read by a third party.
Your confidentiality will be kept to the degree permitted by the technology being used. We cannot guarantee against interception of data sent via the internet by third parties.
Taking part is voluntary
Your involvement in this study is voluntary. You may refuse to participate before the study begins, discontinue at any time, or skip any questions/procedures that may make you feel uncomfortable. You will only receive the $25 Amazon gift card if you complete the research survey and show up for your scheduled focus group.
Follow up studies
We may contact you again to request your participation in a follow up study. As always, your participation will be voluntary and we will ask for your explicit consent to participate in any of the follow up studies.
If you have questions
The main researcher conducting this study is Shannan Palma, PhD, founder and CEO of ITI Assistive Technologies Inc. If you have questions, you may contact Dr. Palma at shannan(AT)itiassistivetechnologies.com.