Participating in our study is completely voluntary, and you can always stop participating at any point. You can call us to learn more or ask us any questions that you have. If you talk with us on the phone and/or come in for a first meeting to learn more and decide you do not want to continue, that is perfectly ok! That being said, the study is approved by an institutional review board (IRB, which is a committee that assesses ethics and safety of research with human participants). The risks to participating in our research study are minimal. For example, some children may feel nervous about answering questions in the interview, or when the fMRI session begins. We do everything we can to help children to feel comfortable, and we remind them that they can stop at any time. We will discuss all the possible risks with you before you agree to participate in the study.
Some parents also wonder about the sleep part of the study. If a child is invited to the sleep group, our team, as well as the specialists at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, will be there to make this experience as fun, memorable and comfortable as possible. Also, our kid-friendly sleep suite is ready with television and a comfortable bed. Kids tend to enjoy staying over, since they can bring their own sources of fun, such as favorite DVDs, books, and board games. Additionally, the child’s guardian will be asked to sleep in the room at Nicklaus with the child, to make this experience as enjoyable as possible.