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Advancing Caregiver-Mediated Speech Intervention for Nonspeaking Autistic Children

Award Number: F31DC024129
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: 08/10/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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Advancing Caregiver-Mediated Speech Intervention for Nonspeaking Autistic Children - Approximately one-third of autistic children do not develop verbal speech, limiting employment opportunities, social participation, and negatively affecting health outcomes over the life course. Children who develop verbal speech by age six experience improved long-term outcomes, yet non-speaking autistic (NSA) children are routinely excluded from research, leaving clinicians and policy makers without evidence-based intervention options. Although caregiver-mediated interventions are recommended in early childhood, most existing approaches use clinician-directed therapy and are complex to implement. Compounding this problem, Speech- Language Pathologists (SLPs) report low confidence in coaching caregivers, resulting in inconsistent adoption of recommended practices. Thus, the field faces a dual barrier: (1) few interventions directly target verbal speech for NSA children, and (2) promising strategies are rarely implemented in real-world settings. Contingent imitation, a naturalistic strategy in which adults immediately imitate a child’s vocalizations, is a promising treatment to address this clinical care gap. It has demonstrated positive effects on vocalizations (a crucial precursor to verbal words) when implemented by researchers, is viewed favorably by autistic stakeholders, and aligns well with caregiver coaching models yet has not been tested as a caregiver-mediated strategy nor paired with implementation planning. The objective of this project is to evaluate contingent imitation as a caregiver-mediated strategy for improving verbal speech in NSA toddlers and to identify implementation strategies that support application in real-world settings. The central hypothesis is that caregivers can learn contingent imitation during daily routines to increase children’s vocalizations, and that SLPs will identify strategies to support implementation. Specific Aim 1 will test whether coaching caregivers increases (1) caregiver use of contingent imitation and (2) child vocalizations using a single-case experimental design; social validity and feasibility will be explored through in-depth caregiver interviews. Specific Aim 2 will identify provider-informed strategies for implementation. SLPs will complete in-depth interviews guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and findings will be mapped to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change taxonomy. Expected outcomes include (1) foundational evidence for a caregiver-mediated verbal speech intervention for NSA children and (2) a provider-informedroadmap for implementation. As part of the fellowship, the applicant will receive advanced training in single-case experimental design, caregiver-mediated intervention, qualitative methods, and implementation science. Research training will occur within an interdisciplinary environment that includes expertise in each of these areas (primary sponsor Dr. Mollie Romano; co-sponsors Drs. Henna Budwhani and David Schlundt). This training and research plan will prepare the applicant for a career dedicated to improving communication outcomes for autistic children.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $40,716 )
2026	2026	FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY	874 TRADITIONS WAY	TALLAHASSEE	FL	32306	LEON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	8/20/2026	NEW	$0
2026	2026	FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY	874 TRADITIONS WAY	TALLAHASSEE	FL	32306	LEON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	8/20/2026	NEW	$40,716
														Subtotal = $40,716

Grand Total All Awards = $40,716

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Advancing Caregiver-Mediated Speech Intervention for Nonspeaking Autistic Children

Award Number: F31DC024129

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: 08/10/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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