Monday, August 11, 2025 8/11/2025

Kinematic and Acoustic Analysis of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: F31DC020108
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/12/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/30/2023

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Kinematic and Acoustic Analysis of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorder - PROJECT SUMMARY Deficits in speech and language skills are well documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a pervasive developmental disorder that affects 1 in 54 children in the United States. Despite the wide range of deficits and the debilitating effect of language impairments, the factors influencing divergent language outcomes in this population remain unknown, and the range of articulatory skills has not been adequately documented. The current study investigates the hypothesis that children with ASD exhibit abnormal articulatory motor control relative to same-age peers based on the premise that (1) it is well established that children with ASD have global motor control deficits, including impairments in both gross and fine motor skills, (2) less is known about their oromotor status, although existing studies have implicated oromotor deficits, and (3) research suggests that oromotor deficits predict poor language outcomes. We will use a comprehensive framework of kinematic and acoustic features representing five key components of articulatory motor control (i.e., coordination, consistency, precision, speed, and rate) to objectively quantify speech skills in children with ASD age 5;0 to 7;11. Motivation for using these features comes from gross motor, fine motor, and articulatory motor literature; however, this study would be the first to combine them in a comprehensive account of articulatory abilities in ASD, and among the first to use optical motion capture technology to assess speech in this population. Data obtained in the proposed project will be compared to normative data from typically developing children in the same age range being collected in a related study. The instrumental assessment of articulatory motor control will provide results that are more reliable and less vulnerable to bias than commonly used perceptual methods. To determine if severity of articulatory deficits predicts concurrent speech and expressive language abilities among children with ASD while controlling for age and non-verbal IQ, we will then examine each feature’s relationship to scores on standardized measures of articulation and expressive language. The findings of this study are critical to (1) furthering our understanding of language deficits in ASD, (2) informing clinical decision-making regarding the use of articulation-based therapies in conjunction with language-based therapies for children with ASD, and (3) addressing ongoing clinical and scientific issues including early detection of ASD and the identification of neurobiological mechanisms influencing communication development.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$26,180 )
2025	2023	THE MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.	36 1ST AVE	CHARLESTOWN	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	3	6/25/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$19,399
2025	2022	THE MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.	36 1ST AVE	CHARLESTOWN	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	6/25/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$6,407
2025	2022	THE MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.	36 1ST AVE	CHARLESTOWN	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	6/25/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	-$374
														Subtotal = -$26,180

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $19,399 )
2023	2023	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	3	9/12/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$24,395
2023	2023	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	7/18/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$43,794
														Subtotal = $19,399

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $45,352 )
2022	2022	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	7/21/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$42,852
2022	2022	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	10/28/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$2,500
														Subtotal = $45,352

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $39,636 )
2021	2021	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	8/7/2021	NEW	$39,636
2021	2021	MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, INC.THE	36 1ST AVE	BOSTON	MA	02129	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	8/7/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $39,636

Grand Total All Awards = $78,207

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Kinematic and Acoustic Analysis of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: F31DC020108

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/12/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/30/2023

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer