Additional Study Information
Study Title: Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gender Expansive Identities: A Phenomenological Exploration of Gender Identity Development
I am a student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. This study is being conducted as a part of my dissertation requirement for Clinical Psychology Psy. D.
I am asking you to participate in a research study about the experience of gender identity exploration and development for individuals diagnosed with Autism. In this study you will be asked to participate in an interview about your personal experiences with developing your gender identity. This interview will ask about environmental, social, and personal factors influential to your gender identity development. This study will consist of a single interview that will take 1-2 hours. This may feel invasive to you as the interview will ask specific questions about internal and external gender development experiences. Discussion of the experience of gender identity development may be uncomfortable for some to revisit and discuss. Although you may not directly benefit, the information you share will help mental health professionals understand what experiences individuals with Autism face when exploring their gender identity and how mental health services can better support this experience.
Purpose: The purpose for this study is to build an understanding of the lived experience for people diagnosed with Autism who identify with a gender other than what they were assigned at birth. This understanding will be shared with mental health professionals to enhance and inform mental health support. The hope is that this information will allow mental health professionals to make considerations to their treatment plan and interventions based on the lived experience shared by participants. Additionally, gaining this understanding can help in the development of treatment models specific to this population.
Procedures: During this study, you will be asked to meet with me to answer questions regarding your experience with gender identity exploration and development. These questions will request information about emotional, social and environmental factors influencing your exploration and development. You will also be asked about the support you received during your exploration, as well as the support you would like to see for Autistic gender expansive individuals. This interview will take one session, that will last 1-2 hours. An interview guide will be provided to you a week before the interview to help you prepare for the session. This guide will outline the questions I will ask you and the areas that will be explored in the interview.
Risks to Participants: The risks of study participation are the potential for emotional activation through discussion of the experiences you’ve had in gender identity development and exploration. There is the potential that discussion of past experiences brings up uncomfortable emotions. Asking questions about these experiences may also feel invasive as gender exploration and development is often a private experience. Steps have been taken to minimize the risks, such as providing mental health resources to study participants. The sensitivity of the experiences that are being asked about has also been considered in the development of the interview questions. To prepare participants for discussion of experiences, an interview guide will be sent to you a week before the interview is scheduled.
Benefits to Participants: You may not directly benefit from this study. However, the hope is that the information learned from this study may benefit society in our understanding of how gender identity development and exploration is experienced for people with Autism. As Autistic individuals present more frequently for mental health support for gender exploration than any other clinical or nonclinical group, it is important that mental health practitioners are aware of this experience and the specific needs of this population.
Alternatives to Participation: Participation in this study is voluntary. You may withdraw from study participation at any time without any penalty.
Confidentiality: During this study, information will be collected about you for the purpose of this research. This includes your name, age, e-mail address, telephone number, and personal historical information. To protect your confidentiality and guard your anonymity, all personal identifying information will be changed. Your name will be coded using a numeral and alphabetical system on all research documents. Your personal number, email, and all interview documents will be stored on a private computer, only accessible by me, Leo Wiseman, the investigator. This private computer will be password protected in addition to password protection on individual research documents. All research material will remain protected in this way for a minimum of five years after publication per American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines.
It is possible that your data may be used for future research or distributed to another researcher without your consent. However, information that could identify you will be removed.
Your research records may be reviewed by federal agencies whose responsibility is to protect human subjects participating in research, including the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) and by representatives from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Institutional Review Board, a committee that oversees research.
Questions/Concerns: If you have questions related to the procedures described in this document please contact investigator Leo Wiseman (lwiseman@ego.thechicagoschool.edu) or their dissertation chair, Dr. Berkey (bberkey@thechicagoschool.edu).
If you have questions concerning your rights in this research study you may contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is concerned with the protection of subjects in research project. You may reach the IRB office Monday-Friday by calling 312.467.2335 or writing: Institutional Review Board, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 325 N. Wells, Chicago, Illinois, 60654.