Preparing for your cognitive assessment ("brain games") visit at the Marcus Autism Center
Our research team is excited to meet you during your Cognitive Assessment Visit! Please see below for information that may be helpful to share with your child about what they can expect for this study visit.
Who will I be meeting at this visit?
Sydney Olson, Research Coordinator
Jennifer "Jen" Hamel, Psychometrist
Ashante Thompson, Research Coordinator
What to expect for your Cognitive Assessment Visit
Welcome to the Marcus Autism Center! After you complete the check in process with our front desk, our coordinator, Sydney, will greet you and your family on the second floor.
After meeting our coordinator, Sydney will walk you and your family back to the assessment room space where the visit will take place (see an example of our session room below).
Our second floor lobby where you will wait with your caregiver for our team to greet you.
An example of our assessment room that you will be work to complete brain games.
Once you are settled into the room you will be working in, our study coordinator will review details about the study you are on, help answer questions you may have, and to check to make sure you would like to be in the study. At the visit, you will complete brain games that involve different types of puzzles and patterns to use your brain in different ways.
What type of assessments can I expect for my social and cognitive visit in the study?
Our participants with a professional diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will complete the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). We also understand that some children may have struggles with language, so a study measure that is heavily on the verbal side might be challenging. Our clinician can incorporate supplemental measures that are more picture pointing as a way to also capture skills.
Our participants without a diagnosis of ASD will complete the WISC-V assessment only.
See examples on what to expect below!
WISC-V
WISC-V (Commonly referred to on the study as "brain games") is an intelligence test that measures a child’s intellectual ability and five cognitive domains that impact performance:
Verbal Comprehension
Visual Spatial
Fluid Reasoning
Working Memory
Processing Speed
Visual schedule for the day of assessments
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Assessment
The ADOS assessment is a play-based observational assessment where our clinician will be engaging with your child using toys, stories, and games. This assessment will be used to confirm an existing diagnosis of ASD for eligibility in the research study.
NOTE: If your child has completed a WISC-V assessment in the past year from when they enroll into the study, please let our coordinator know and some scores may be utilized for this research study within a year of visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.) Where does the social and cognitive assessment visit take place?
a. This visit will take place at the Marcus Autism Center on 1920 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
2.) How long will the visit take?
a. If the participant is completing a WISC-V assessment only, the visit may be around 1.5-2 hours.
b. If the participant is completing a WISC-V and ADOS, the visit may take around 3.5-4 hours.
3.) What should I bring with me to my visit?
a. Please bring a valid ID to receive a visitor badge upon arrival.
b. You are encouraged to bring any snack or toy items that might be helpful for your child to have during their visit or break time.
4.) What can I expect to occur during the visit?
a. Our research coordinator, Sydney, will meet with you and your family on the second floor to greet and bring you back to an assessment room (see photo example of an assessment room).
b. Your child’s consent to participate in the study is the upmost importance to us. During this visit, Sydney will go through a version of the consent, with the language being tailored to school-age children to verbalize what they will be agreeing to be a part of. If your child is eleven years or older, there will be an electronic signature they can sign their name (as best as they can) to agree to participate. For children ten years and younger, a verbal consent is acceptable. Consent is an ongoing process throughout the study, so if any point in the study if your child chooses to no longer participate, we will honor that request.
c. Once in the assessment room and your child agrees to participate, you will meet with one of the clinicians on our research team who will be working with your child. The clinician will be completing brain games and puzzles with your child related to language and thought. If there is a question that might be difficult for them to answer, that is completely fine, and the clinician can skip to a different question.
5.) Can I be in the room with my child during the assessment?
a. Absolutely, you are welcome to accompany your child to the assessment room and remain in the room with them during their visit.
6.) What if I must bring my child’s sibling who is not enrolled in the study?
a. That’s okay, you are welcome to bring them to the visit! We can provide childcare during the visit, so you can observe your child during the assessment. If childcare is needed for the assessment or scan visit, please let Sydney know in advance, and we can make sure to have extra team members on hand to provide childcare during the visit.
7.) Can I have a report of the scores my child completes during the visit?
a. We do provide a summary report of the scores that your child completes during the visit at your request. The report may take 3-4 weeks to complete.
8.) Do you provide school excuse forms to attend the visit?
a. We do! If you need a school excuse form, please let our coordinator, Sydney, know, and she can provide you with one on the day of your visit.