INSAR Community Collaborator Request (ICCR)

Making an INSAR Community Collaborator Request (ICCR) For Researchers

Autism research is increasingly embracing a participatory model, with direct and active involvement from autistic individuals in the research process. Collaborative efforts between autistic and non-autistic researchers, as well as with autistic community members and their families, have already produced several important publications. Reflecting this shift, journals are beginning to require acknowledgment of community involvement in published studies.

The Autistic Researchers Committee (ARC) aims to support and advance these developments by acting as a hub of connection for INSAR members, fostering neurodiverse research teams that serve the needs of the autistic community.

Are you an autism researcher—whether autistic or non-autistic— seeking to collaborate or consult autistic individuals and their family members for a research study? Visit the INSAR Career Center to post your study!

Click here to view all currently active community collaborator requests in the INSAR Career Center.

Why post your study as an INSAR Community Collaborator Request?

As a researcher you may have previously shared collaboration requests on social media—sometimes receiving hundreds of responses, and other times very few.

With the INSAR Community Collaboration Request, you can still share your study widely by posting a concise summary on the INSAR website and then distributing the link across your social media channels as often as you like.

What sets this apart is that autistic individuals and family members who have signed up for free INSAR membership will receive your post directly in their inbox. This ensures your study reaches a targeted, engaged—saving you the time and uncertainty of relying solely on social media to connect with genuine stakeholders.

How do you post your study on the INSAR Career Center?

For researchers: Please follow these instructions. Note that INSAR Full or Student membership is required to submit an ICCR post.

Login with your INSAR member credentials on the Career Center page and select “Submit an Opening” > “Community Collaboration” Option.

The following steps outline how to post your study after logging in.

Include a description of your proposed study
1. List your research area
2. Describe your research question using accessible (non-jargon) terms
3. Provide a short, accessible (non-jargon) background, max 6 sentences
4. List expected outcomes and importance for autistic people, with links to essential publications
Provide what type of members you want for collaboration
1. Autism community (autistic researchers, autistic adults, parents of autistic children)
2. Demographics
  1. Race
  2. Gender
  3. Age
  4. Experience
Describe what you wish to collaborate on - for example: question generation and priority setting, research design and protocol and grant writing, adaptation of existing materials and tools, data analysis and results interpretation, paper writing and dissemination of results. Recruitment for study participation is not allowed.

We encourage researchers posting requests here to offer financial compensation to the consultants they wish to recruit (i.e., for their time and travel if necessary). Projects that budget for stakeholder consultation tend to attract more interest, are better received by the community, and align with ethical principles of fair compensation.

That said, some autistic people choose to offer their input as volunteers. Therefore, we allow postings for both “paid” and “volunteer” opportunities.

If you are seeking volunteers, we encourage you to discuss and agree upon fair recognition of their contributions. This may include named acknowledgement in your publications and on your project team website, and/or co-authorship on any resulting papers.

What happens after you post your request?

Stakeholders interested in collaborating with you will reach out using the contact information you provide (e.g.,email). As the post is public, we encourage you to share it on social media platforms such as X, Linkedin, or Facebook.

Once researchers or stakeholders initiate contact, we recommend negotiating the terms of the collaboration early on—this may include aspects such as communication frequency, preferred medium, compensation, and acknowledgement. These agreed-upon terms should be respected throughout the collaboration. If changes are necessary, please ensure the terms are renegotiated before implementing any adjustments.

Communication between neurotypical and autistic collaborators can sometimes present challenges. To support effective interaction, ARC has developed a guide outlining communication preferences and needs commonly expressed by autistic individuals.

It is the responsibility of all collaborators to take the relationship seriously and to communicate respectfully and effectively. INSAR will not mediate or participate in negotiations or disputes. However, if you have specific questions about managing communication or collaboration that are not answered in the guide, you may contact us as xxx@email.com.

How to become an INSAR Community Collaborator -
For people with lived experience of autism

Are you autistic and/or a family member of an autistic person? If so, you have a legitimate and valuable stake in autism research decision-making!

You can help shape the future of autism research by becoming a INSAR Community Collaborator. As a collaborator, you’ll receive regular email alerts about upcoming projects that are seeking input from stakeholders like you.

Getting started is easy—just follow these four simple steps:

C reate a free INSAR account. The paid INSAR membership is not required to be an INSAR Community Collaborator.
Subscribe to the “Community Collaborator Request” category on the INSAR Career Center to receive email notifications of new opportunities.
View existing ICCR posts on the INSAR Career Center (no account or membership required) and in your inbox.
Contact the researchers of a project that matters to you or interests you, following their provided contact instructions (usually via email or social media).

*INSAR takes no responsibility for interactions between researchers and stakeholders and will not become involved in any negotiations or disputes between parties.

More information on participatory research can be found using the links below.

Examples of Successful Research Partnerships

Participatory Autism Research

Six steps to engaging in participatory autism research

Helpful Templates for Recruiting Community Partners

AASPIRE Participatory Research Toolkit

AASPIRE Inclusion Guidelines

Participatory and Inclusive Autism Research Practice Guides

Questions: Contact committees@autism-insar.org

For instructions on unsubscribing from Career Center posting emails, click here.