How can I sign-up to participate?
You can sign up by filling out this form and one of our experimenters will reach out to you and set up a timeslot for you to come into the lab and participate.
What is this research about?
The goal of this research is to examine the movements and brain activity patterns of neurotypical control participants aged 7-18 years (that’s you!) compared to aged-matched neurodiverse participants with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI).
How can I participate?
If you choose to participate in this study, you will complete a simple reaching and grasping task with and without vision-blocking goggles and while wearing a neoprene fNIRS cap (functional near infrared spectroscopy) on your head. High speed video cameras will be used to record your movements and the fNIRS cap will use light to monitor your brain activity during the task.
Why might I want to participate?
The results of this research will add to the growing knowledge base surrounding CVI, and potentially be used to facilitate new diagnostic tools for people with suspected CVI. Currently, it is not easy to diagnose this impairment, and therefore many people with CVI are not able to access the accommodations and supports that could improve accessibility in their day-to-day life.
Are there any exclusion criteria?
We are currently seeking neurotypical control participants. Thus, to be eligible to participate in this study, participants must not have:
- any condition known to affect vision, hand use, or brain development (e.g. dyslexia; lazy-eye; brain injury; cerebral palsy; colour-blindness; arthritis)
- any neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ‘ADHD’; Autism Spectrum Disorder ‘ASD’; epilepsy; learning disabilities; intellectual disabilities).
Additionally, participants must be able to wear a neoprene cap directly on the head/touching the hair and scalp; and must not have long artificial fingernails that could interfere with the grasping of objects during the task.
What does participation entail?
The entirety of the experiment may take up to 135 minutes, including paperwork and consent forms, a visuomotor skills assessment, the set-up and completion of the experimental task, a 15 minute break, and a final debriefing.
Upon arriving for the experiment:
- The parent will read and sign the informed consent form as well as fill out a short survey regarding their child’s visual and motor skills.
- The participant will complete a visuomotor assessment that involves drawing specific shapes.
- The participant will then be fitted with the fNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy) cap on their head (video demonstration of fNIRS cap). We will measure the size of their head with a measuring tape and use a washable crayola marker to make a small dot on the very top and centre of their head. Once the cap is fitted on the head, we will gently move the hair aside underneath the lights of the cap using a chopstick to ensure the lights have good contact with the participant’s scalp.
- The experimental procedure will then be explained to both the participant and the parents (video demonstration of experiment).
- The participant will be seated in a comfortable chair in front of a pedestal that will be adjusted to the height of the participant. The participant will listen to an audio presentation which will instruct them to “reach”, at which time they will use their left hand to reach and grasp a block from the pedestal and pass it to the experimenter. There will then be an audio command to “rest”, at which time they will just rest quietly, trying to make as few movements as possible. This will be repeated 20 times for a total of approximately 13 minutes.
- Participants will be offered a break if they like. They will then repeat the same task while wearing vision-blocking goggles.
- After the task is complete, the parent and participant will receive a debriefing form, including the option to provide feedback to the researchers about their experience.
- Participants will receive a $20 Chapters gift card and parents will receive a $20 Starbucks gift card as compensation for their participation.
Where will the study take place?
The experiment will take place in the Child Research space on the 2nd floor of the Early Childhood Education Center at Thompson Rivers University. Please park in the EC parking lot in one of the two parking spaces that are reserved for “Guests of the Children and the Law Laboratory”. Enter the building through Entrance 2 and go up the stairs to the immediate right to the waiting area outside of the lab. The researcher will meet you there.
Address: 1274 McGill Rd., Kamloops, BC., V2C 6N9
How can I sign-up to participate?
You can sign up by filling out this form and one of our experimenters will reach out to you and set up a timeslot for you to come into the lab and participate.
Contact
Please reach out with any and all questions, or to sign up to participate.
Research Assistant:
- Supreeta Ranchod
- Phone: (778)-444-9876
- Email: brainbehavelab@gmail.com