Autistic Researcher Review Board

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What's the ARRB?

The Autistic Researcher Review Board (ARRB), established as part of the Autism Intervention Network on Physical Health (AIR-P), serves as an innovative model for how autism researchers and autistic voices can effectively work together. The ARRB consists of a group of autistic researchers at various points in our careers as academics, lecturers, and consultants. This gives us the unique perspective as both scientists and lived-experience experts, with which to assess the merit of the proposed research projects and their relevance to improving the lives of autistic people.  

Mission

Our mission is to ensure that research conducted by the AIR-P:

  • Includes the voices of autistic individuals from across the lifespan; and
  • Ultimately aims to improve the health and well-being of autistic people as defined by them.

We guide our decisions using the values of neurodiversity, well-being, and a study of physical health that reflects a deeper understanding of issues at the patient, provider, systems, and population levels and autistic individual’s subjective experiences.

Goals

  1. To ensure that we use our dual perspectives as researchers and autistics to guide AIR-P research and their development of health interventions and supports for autistic individuals.
  2. To foster the development and growth of collaborations between AIR-P sites and autistic people, caregivers, and other community stakeholders.
  3. To promote an evidence base that is scientifically rigorous, inclusive of heterogeneous populations with intersectional identities, and sensitive to community needs.
  4. To ensure the results of AIR-P research are communicated respectfully and in a manner that is accessible to autistic people and other stakeholders.
  5. To inspire other research networks and organizations to use innovative modules to increase autistic collaboration in all stages of research from conceptualization to dissemination.