Families welcome

Take part in our research.

We're looking for families with children aged 2–6 years on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. Studies are short, fun for kids, and entirely voluntary. Your family helps us understand how children learn.

What to expect

Simple, friendly, low-fuss.

We've been doing this for years. We know how to make it easy for families and genuinely enjoyable for kids.

Register interest

Email us at k.sommer@griffith.edu.au. We'll be in touch within a week to let you know which studies your child is eligible for and what's involved.

Book a time

We work around your schedule. Sessions can happen at our lab on the Gold Coast or Brisbane, or at your child's preschool or childcare centre.

Your child plays

Sessions are 30–45 minutes. Your child interacts with our friendly research team and sometimes a robot. You're with them the whole time.

Take something home

Every child gets a personalised certificate of participation and a small gift. We also share plain-language results with participating families.

Open studies

Studies open right now.

Register interest any time. We'll let you know which studies your child is eligible for and when sessions begin.

Who can join

Is your family eligible?

Most families with young children will be eligible for at least one study. Here's what we're looking for.

Child aged 2–6 years Specific age ranges vary by study. We'll confirm eligibility when we contact you.
Gold Coast or Brisbane based We run sessions at our lab and at early childhood centres in both cities.
Typically developing or autistic children We actively recruit autistic children and those waiting for assessment. All children are welcome.
English spoken at home Our current studies require English as the primary language of instruction.
Comfortable with technology and robots Sessions involve a friendly social robot (NAO). We introduce it gently — most children love it.
Caregiver present throughout You stay with your child for the entire session. We don't separate children from caregivers.

Register interest

Email us about your family.

Send us a short email with your name, your child's age, and whether you're on the Gold Coast or in Brisbane. If your child is autistic or awaiting assessment, you're welcome to mention it (we actively recruit autistic children), along with any accessibility needs or questions. We'll follow up within 5–7 business days with details about studies your child is eligible for. There's no obligation to proceed.

Email k.sommer@griffith.edu.au

Your information is used only to contact you about our studies and is kept confidential. You can withdraw at any time.

Questions

Things families often ask.

The robot we use (NAO) is a small, friendly humanoid robot designed for child interaction. It's about the size of a toddler. Children meet the robot in a calm, unhurried way and can end the interaction at any time. We've run hundreds of sessions with young children. Families are almost always surprised at how relaxed it is.
That's completely fine. Children can withdraw at any point and for any reason, and there's no consequence. We follow the child's lead. If your child isn't in the mood, we stop. We don't want data from an unhappy child — and we certainly won't pressure them.
Some studies involve video recording of the session for coding purposes (we watch back to carefully record your child's responses). We always ask for explicit consent before recording, and you can opt out of recording while still participating. If you consent to recording, the footage is stored securely and is never published or shared publicly without specific additional consent.
Yes. All data is de-identified and stored securely in accordance with human research ethics requirements. When we publish results, we report group-level findings — your individual child's data is never identifiable in any publication. You can request to withdraw your child's data at any time up to publication.
Absolutely — and we'd especially love your family to join. Some of our most important research asks specifically how autistic children experience learning and interaction with robots. Our lead researcher, Dr Kristyn Sommer, is autistic herself. We design sessions with sensory and communication differences in mind and are always willing to adapt. Please tell us about your child's needs in your email and we'll make sure we're set up well for your visit.
Just yourself and your child. We provide everything needed for the session. If your child has a comfort item they'd like to bring, that's completely fine. We'll send you detailed information about parking, location, and what to expect before your appointment.

More questions? Email us at k.sommer@griffith.edu.au — we're happy to chat before you commit to anything.