Why Join COMBINE?

There is increased recognition of the need to share data and resources in order to advance the replicability and impact of clinical research. The COMBINE dataset is designed to have several key advantages over single-site datasets:

LIFESPAN

The COMBINE dataset includes data from children, adolescents, and adults. This enables Consortium Members to ask questions about motor behavior in neurodivergence across a wide range of developmental contexts. We hope this will lead to a paradigm shift away from thinking of neurodevelopmental conditions as limited to only affecting infancy and childhood.

TRANSDIAGNOSTIC

The COMBINE dataset includes (but is not limited to) data from individuals with autism, developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia, attention disorders, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and others. There is an increased recognition of the need for transdiagnostic research to understand where neurodevelopmental conditions converge or diverge in their motor and behavioral characteristics.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Consortium Members represent a variety of disciplines and are working in diverse professional research and clinical contexts. These include (but are not limited to) kinesiology, psychology, medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and neurology, among others.

MORE THAN MOTOR

The COMBINE dataset is not just about motor skills! Although this is the foundation of the project, the dataset also includes cognitive, adaptive functioning, and other assessment scores that help to characterize the complex interplay between domains of ability and disability in neurodivergence.

INTERNATIONAL

Consortium Members are from around the world, creating a unique opportunity to ask questions related to motor behavior in neurodivergence in a culturally-diverse sample.

“BIG DATA” ADVANTAGE

As the COMBINE dataset grows, we hope there will be opportunities to use data-driven techniques to find new patterns of association between and within neurodevelopmental conditions that can not be applied to small, homogeneous samples.

DATA SHARING PLAN

Many funding agencies require a data sharing plan, in order to promote team science and increase emphasis on rigor and reproducibility of results. Contributing data to shared resources like the COMBINE dataset can satisfy these requirements, and help advance our understanding of motor behavior in neurodivergence and disability!