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Language Processing and Word Learning in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: R01DC016592
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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Language Processing and Word Learning in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Language ability is often impaired in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Language ability in the preschool years is a powerful predictor of outcomes. In these early years, parents are a primary source of early language. It is therefore crucial to study the language input that parents of children with ASD provide and children's abilities to comprehend and learn from that input. In the current proposal, we study how preschoolers with ASD and typically- developing (TD) peers assign meaning to the language they hear, and how parental language input supports these efforts. More specifically, our goal is to understand how children learn the meanings of new words. We focus on verbs because the sentence contexts in which unfamiliar verbs are heard provide helpful information for TD children to acquire their meaning. However, we know little about what kinds of sentence contexts are most useful in ASD, or about what kinds of contexts parents provide in their own speech. To pursue this issue, we present children with unfamiliar words either in carefully constructed linguistic contexts, varying how informative and easy-to-process they are, as well as the number of repetitions of each context (Study 1) or unscripted sentence contexts produced by their own parent (Study 2). We use eye-tracking measures to assess how children understand the contexts and assign the words a meaning. This research will shed light on the mechanisms underlying language learning in ASD and in TD and will support the development of effective language interventions, including parent-based 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	2022	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	6	4/4/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $396,250 )
2022	2022	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	6	4/28/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$396,250
														Subtotal = $396,250

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $396,250 )
2021	2021	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	4/14/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$396,250
														Subtotal = $396,250

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $396,250 )
2020	2020	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	4/15/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$396,250
														Subtotal = $396,250

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $351,250 )
2019	2019	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	3	4/17/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$396,250
2019	2018	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	003	1	5/14/2019	NEW	-$10,383
2019	2018	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	1/23/2019	NEW	-$362,000
2019	2018	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	004	2	5/14/2019	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$10,383
2019	2018	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	70 WASHINGTON SQ S	NEW YORK	NY	10012	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	1/24/2019	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$317,000
														Subtotal = $351,250

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $412,188 )
2018	2018	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	1 SILBER WAY	BOSTON	MA	02215	SUFFOLK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	4/27/2018	NEW	$412,188
														Subtotal = $412,188

Grand Total All Awards = $1,952,188

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Language Processing and Word Learning in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: R01DC016592

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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