CARES Frequently Asked Questions

Language

Why “Collaborator” instead of “Participant” or “Subject”?

At CARES, we use Collaborator to reflect the role you’ll play. Collaborators aren’t just participants in a study—you’re a co-creator. You’ll help shape what we study, how we study it, and how we share what we learn with our communities. Participants (sometimes called research participants or subjects) are individuals whose data we collect through the research we design together. Depending on our questions, participants may be autistic or non-autistic.

Why do you say “Autistic” instead of “Person with Autism”?

Language matters. Many Autistic people see Autism as an important part of who we are—not something separate from us. That’s why many of us use identity-first language, like “I’m Autistic.” Others prefer “I have autism,” “I’m on the spectrum,” or something else. At CARES, we honor individual preferences. We use “Autistic” or identity-first language because that’s what many of our community and team members use, but we respect and follow each person’s choice—just like with pronouns.

Requirements

Do I need a college degree or research experience to be a Collaborator?

Not at all! No degree or research background required. CARES values lived experience as expertise.

I don’t have a formal diagnosis, but I identify as Autistic. Can I still join?

Yes! We recognize many barriers to diagnosis—cost, access, misdiagnosis, safety, stigma. Your experience is valid, with or without a professional diagnosis.

Why do I need to be 18 or older and live in the U.S.?

To keep things simple while we’re getting started, we’re currently working with U.S.-based adults. We hope to expand in the future to include more people across ages and countries.

I’ve never used Google Drive, Slack, or Zoom. Can I still apply?

Yes! We’ll provide support to help you get familiar with these tools. You’re also welcome to have a support person help you use them.

What if I can’t commit to full time or wasn’t selected as a Collaborator?

There are still ways to be involved! You can join our waitlist for future opportunities or volunteer as a research participant in the studies designed by the CARES team.

Do Collaborators get paid?

Yes! CARES compensates Collaborators for their time and contributions. We are grateful for our grant funding from the non-profit Communication Development Center for supporting this work.

CARES’ Research

What do Collaborators actually do?

Collaborators join research meetings and work on tasks in between. You’ll have opportunities to help design studies, analyze findings, and share what we learn. You can focus on the parts of the research process that interest you most.

What kind of research will CARES focus on?

The team will decide our research questions together, but in general, CARES focuses on topics connected to the founder’s expertise and resources. This includes Autistic experiences of stimming, executive functioning (like attention, impulse control, and memory), and how Autistic people understand other people’s thoughts, feelings, and perspectives.

I’m interested in other types of research (like clinical or brain imaging studies). Can I do that with CARES?

At this time, those aren’t areas we’re equipped to study. We’re excited to connect with other researchers in the future to broaden what we can explore together.