Press Release

Arlington, VA, December 12, 2025  –  The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Applied Research Competition. This program, which began offering grants of up to $50,000 in 2024, provides funding to researchers and professionals who conduct applied autism research. This year, OAR’s Board of Directors approved funding for eight new research grants totaling $397,372. With these new awards, OAR has surpassed $5.8 million in grants awarded since 2002.

OAR received 277 pre-proposals during the first round, and of those, 75 researchers were invited to submit full proposals. Twenty-six full proposals advanced to the final review, and in November, OAR’s Scientific Council, a group of autism professionals from various fields and backgrounds, reviewed and scored each proposal. In the end, they identified eight studies as the most outstanding.

Congratulations to the 2025 applied grant recipients:

A Transdiagnostic Therapist Toolkit to Improve Mental Health Treatment for Autistic Adolescents
Yael Dai, Ph.D.
Florida International University, Miami, Florida

A Pilot Investigation of the Competence In Romance and Understanding Sexual Health Curriculum
Susan Faja, Ph.D.
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Blended NDBIs for Social Communication and Social-Emotional Development for Young Children
Gospel Kim, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Lisa Sanchez, Ph.D., and Lauren Fischbacher, Ph.D.
Baylor University, Waco, Texas

Reimagining a Quality of Life Measure Informed by the Autistic Community
Shannon LaPoint, Ph.D. and Becca Lory Hector
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Minimally Verbal Autistic Children and Their Families *
Nicole McDonald, Ph.D.
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

An Evidence-Based, Virtual Toolkit for Community Mental Health Clinicians Serving Autistic Youth *
Grace Lee Simmons, Ph.D., Laura Klinger Ph.D., and others
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Development and Evaluation of a Community-Informed Assent-Based ABA Approach
Noor Syed, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Lauren Lestremau Allen Ph.D., and others
SUNY Empire State University, New York, New York

Study of Parents’ AI Coach for Parent-Implemented Communication Interventions for Children with ASD
Jinjun Xiong, Ph.D.
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

* OAR extends its sincere gratitude to the Lisa Higgins Hussman Foundation for its generous support of Dr. McDonald’s study. The project led by Dr. Simmons was also made possible through OAR’s Changing Lives Fund.

In addition to funding eight applied research grants, OAR’s Board of Directors approved funding for a new resource grant. The purpose of the project, “The Fifth Vital Sign: Menstrual Health Assessment and Curriculum Manual for Autism and Developmental Disabilities,” will be to develop, evaluate, and publish a practical menstrual health assessment and curriculum manual to support individuals with ASD and DD. Once published, the materials will be freely available through OAR’s website. Congratulations to the resource grant recipient, Rebecca J. Barall, M.Ed., at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute.

OAR is accepting letters of intent for the 2026 Applied Research Competition through March 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. More information on the application process, including the Request for Application (RFA) and Budget Guidelines, can be accessed here.

For questions or comments, please contact OAR at (571) 977-5391 or e-mail research@researchautism.org.

About OAR: The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national non-profit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions. Learn more at www.researchautism.org.