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Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: R21DC018872
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2027

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Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have word-learning difficulties, with particular weaknesses in developing rich semantic representations over time that can be flexibly applied to new contexts. This negatively impacts academic performance, functional independence, and quality of life. Despite this, there are very few evidence-based intervention techniques that have been directly examined in children with ASD. Within the psychological learning literature, there is a promising teaching technique that highlights not only the input that individuals receive when learning but also opportunities to recall or produce newly taught information. The retrieval of new information is not only important for the assessment of learning, but for learning itself. It is believed that effortful retrieval practice (repeated spaced retrieval RSR) enhances encoding because retrieval of new information prompts individuals to identify features of the word or concept that are necessary to reconstruct the material, which leads to an enriched and potentially elaborated memory trace to support future retrievals. Although retrieval practice studies have yielded robust learning effects in adults, its application to child learning is in its infancy. Given the striking learning effects that have been documented in adults and some emerging findings in children with developmental language disorder, retrieval practice has great potential to enhance word learning in children with ASD. RSR holds promise for children with ASD because its use has been found to facilitate not only learning of word form (corresponding to the sounds that comprise a word), but also word meaning (corresponding to semantic features associated with the newly taught word), which is a particular weakness in children with ASD. Also, RSR may be a key clinical approach to use with children with ASD because it has been found to strengthen not only item-specific learning (e.g., labeling pictured referents that were explicitly taught), but also to enable generalization (e.g., correctly applying newly taught adjectives to novel referents or labels to different referents of the same kind). Thus, Study 1 will assess whether RSR of newly taught labels (nouns) results in more robust learning of word form and meaning of nouns relative to a learning schedule that has the same amount of study without retrieval (repeated study, RS). Also, Study 1 will examine whether RSR promotes generalization in children with ASD in a task that tests children's extension of labels to referents that are similar to but distinct from the referents that were explicitly taught. Study 2 will assess whether RSR facilitates adjective learning, which allows for more stringent analysis of broader language learning and generalization. Across Studies 1 and 2, addressing specific aim 3, we will examine generalization using pictures of similar referents (Study 1) or similar attributes on novel referents (Study 2). Lastly, we will assess whether ASD severity moderates the RSR effect, after controlling for cognitive and language abilities, addressing specific aim 4. Findings from this study will inform our theoretical understanding of language acquisition in children with ASD and will lead to clear clinical implications.


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 = $0 )
2026	2024	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	7/17/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	7/31/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $178,595 )
2024	2024	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	7/2/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$178,595
														Subtotal = $178,595

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $178,595 )
2023	2023	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	7/18/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$178,595
														Subtotal = $178,595

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $178,595 )
2022	2022	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	9/16/2022	NEW	$178,595
														Subtotal = $178,595

Grand Total All Awards = $535,785

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Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Award Number: R21DC018872

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2027

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