Dr. Harrop was recently awarded a Junior Faculty Development Award from the UNC Provost Office to study biobehavioral markers of anxiety in autistic males and females. We will be using biomarkers (RSA and eye tracking) alongside caregiver and adolescent self report (including EMA) to understand the experience of anxiety in autistic females. Our hypothesis is that biological sex (aka being female) serves as a “third hit” in adolescence and understanding how anxiety manifests in this vulnerable, transitional period is a critical research need. We also plan to examine gender as a potential fourth hit.
Thank you to the Provost’s Office for funding this research. We can’t wait to start it.