Wednesday, January 15, 2025 1/15/2025

Predicting and Optimizing Language Outcomes in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: P50DC018006
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT A significant number of children with ASD remain minimally verbal even after receiving quality interventions. Recent studies have highlighted the heterogeneity of this group confirming that no single mechanism can explain the underlying causes of their severe communication deficits. At the same time, innovative targeted behavioral interventions can lead to improvements in speech and social communication in some minimally verbal children. The goals of this Center, located at Boston University and University of California Los Angeles, are to build on our earlier work addressing a central theme: Which young minimally verbal children with ASD make gains acquiring language during the early school years and how can we facilitate such progress? We approach these questions from a multidisciplinary perspective, employing tools, methods, and approaches drawn from communication disorders, speech and motor science, developmental neuroscience, genetics and interventions research. The four interconnected projects address the following aims. Aim 1: To identify motor and neural mechanisms underlying the profound spoken language impairments that define minimally verbal children with autism. In two projects on the same group of young minimally verbal children we plan to characterize oral and general motor functioning using state-of- the-art technologies, and electrophysiology to probe neural functioning (Project 1, 2). Aim 2: To advance our understanding of how to optimize the language outcomes of young minimally verbal children with ASD. We address this by carrying out a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention that combines social communication and oromotor targets (Project 3) and by following the children studied in Aim 1 for two years to explore how changes in motor and neural functioning may predict diverse language pathways (Projects 1, 2). Aim 3: To investigate genetic risk factors associated with minimally verbal ASD, including both common and rare variants (Project 4). We plan to leverage the children enrolled in all the projects to explore the relationship between the quantitative load for common polygenic risk for ASD and language, motor, and neural phenotypes as well as genetic predictors of response to treatment and more optimal developmental outcomes (all Projects). The projects are united and served by an Administrative Core (A) and a Clinical and Data Management Scientific Core (B) that will carry out comprehensive assessments using available and novel measures to capture the heterogeneous phenotypes of minimally verbal children with ASD. Together, the research conducted in our Center will significantly advance our understanding of the profound communication deficits at this neglected end of the autism spectrum, develop behavioral and neural biomarkers that predict different developmental pathways for language, and may highlight potential molecular targets for future novel therapeutic interventions.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2023	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	10/12/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $2,482,466 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	5	8/18/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$2,408,308
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	003	5	8/31/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	5	8/21/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$74,158
2023	2022	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	12/8/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
														Subtotal = $2,482,466

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $2,478,984 )
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	8/24/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$2,404,826
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	4	9/19/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$74,158
														Subtotal = $2,478,984

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $2,404,704 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	8/17/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$2,404,704
														Subtotal = $2,404,704

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $2,403,996 )
2020	2020	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	8/11/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$2,403,996
2020	2019	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	2/11/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $2,403,996

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $2,506,654 )
2019	2019	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	8/22/2019	NEW	$2,506,654
														Subtotal = $2,506,654

Grand Total All Awards = $12,276,804

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Predicting and Optimizing Language Outcomes in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: P50DC018006

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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