My Research Questions

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I'm in a Research Methods in Psychology class and we have to submit a research proposal by the end of the semester (we're not actually doing the experiment), and I decided to do one on ASD since I just got my diagnosis. We're working on the proposal step by step and the first assignment is a Statement of Interest outlining our topic and the specific research question we want to answer. I personally find psychology (especially abnormal psychology) fascinating and am really enthusiastic about this class! I already submitted my assignment to my professor, but I thought it might be interesting to copy and paste it here and see if anyone else has thoughts about what I should be addressing in regards to ASD and how to improve my statement. Keep in mind this is just a first draft. One challenge I foresee in turning this into a research proposal is that there is currently a lot of research on autism, and I'm supposed to be asking a research question that's never been asked before.

My main area of interest is autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I am interested in this topic because I may have ASD myself and have several family members who have it as well. ASD is also a popular topic in the media right now and I think a lot of people have misunderstandings of what ASD is. The main subareas of this topic are social impairments in ASD, comorbidities of other mental disorders in ASD (such as mood disorders, OCD, and learning disabilities), special interests in ASD, intellectual gifts and savant skills in persons with ASD, physical impairments and conditions often seen in ASD (such as allergies, gastrointestinal problems, and ataxia/dystaxia), repetitive behaviors in ASD, specific traits such as echolalia or wandering in ASD, language impairments in the more severe forms of ASD, the difference between high-functioning, moderate-functioning, and low-functioning forms of ASD, obsessions/fixations with objects as opposed to persons in ASD, varying traits with and compensatory behaviors persons with ASD use to learn social skills and better fit within society. The subarea of special interest to me is intellectual gifts and savant skills in persons with ASD. I find this subarea particularly interesting because it shows that persons with disabilities are not necessarily incapable, in fact they may be gifted in certain areas. This is especially true in the case of ASD, where persons who are less socially impaired are able to live an almost normal life and thrive in the topic(s) that interest them, and even persons who are moderate or low-functioning are often gifted in some areas. Also, all of the persons I know with ASD have demonstrated some form of gift and are able to cope with their deficits. The research questions I want to ask are: What different types of gifts are seen within ASD? In the research I have done online concerning ASD, I have found that there are four areas that persons with ASD tend to specialize or “think” in four different domains: visual, spatial, mathematical/musical, and verbal. However, I could not find all of the examples of specific gifts within these domains, so that’s something I would want to investigate further. What is the average IQ of someone with ASD, and how does this predict their chance for success in the future given their disabilities? Research has shown that many persons with ASD have higher IQs than average, but this does not usually predict their chance for success in the future, especially if they are more severely affected by ASD. How can you test for IQ in ASD if someone is nonverbal or has other disabilities affecting their ability to take an IQ test? Many persons with more severe forms of ASD can’t take a traditional IQ test for varying reasons, including being unable or having limits in verbal communication, having difficulties in understanding language, have problems following instructions, having high intelligence in some domains but not in others, etc. For these reasons, these persons often score low on IQ tests when they actually have average or above average intelligence. It would be beneficial to develop appropriate IQ tests for persons with low-functioning ASD or other disabilities that affect their ability to take an IQ test, as these persons’ capabilities are often underestimated since they cannot communicate traditionally. What types of savant skills are seen within savants with ASD, and how does this correlate with their functioning capabilities? Savants display many varieties of skills (usually in one area), from memory to mathematics to art, but not all savant abilities are necessarily recognized, perhaps because they may be very specific and the savant hasn’t been able to express their abilities yet, or because the savant is so low-functioning they can’t express themselves, so it is important to research all savants and their abilities. In addition, many savants tend to have moderate or low-functioning ASD as opposed to people without savant skills with high-functioning ASD. It would be interesting to take a look at the correlation between savant abilities and ASD disabilities in individual savants. How do gifted persons with ASD (either in the sense of having a high IQ, having a savant ability, or both) compare to gifted persons without ASD? There are numerous persons with high IQs or strong ability in specific areas who do not have ASD. It would be interesting to see the difference between these two groups of people and evaluate their abilities and disabilities as well as their general strengths and weaknesses. Why are persons with ASD more likely to have a higher IQ and/or savant abilities? Though savants and high-IQ persons with ASD are well-documented, the reason why persons with ASD possess these abilities (and how this relates to their disabilities) is unclear. Are savant and other intellectual skills innate and immutable, or can they change over time/improve when the person exercises their ability (or diminish when the person doesn’t exercise their ability)? Savant skills are often seen as inherent in savants and not subject to change, but I’m interested in knowing if savant skills can be improved upon or changed over time. Can a person without ASD or any savant abilities develop savant-like abilities with training? One theory as to why persons with ASD are more likely to develop savant skills is that persons with ASD are more likely to be intensely focused on one subject or interest. If a person without savant abilities did the same, would they be able to develop abilities similar to that of a savant? It would be interesting to test this and try to find the answer.

is that long block the statement?
for the eye don't put the same word (ASD) in every phrase, imho

(i have a suspicion 'research methods' is the subject, not the specific quest)

Yes, the long block is the statement. And thanks for the advice, I will try to not use "ASD" as much in the statement.