News and Knowledge

OAR is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2017 Graduate Research Grants. The program awards up to $1,000 to master’s students and $2,000 to those in doctoral programs to conduct research related to autism. This year, OAR is awarding 11 grants totaling $20,619, both new highs for OAR. These new grants add up to more than $228,600 awarded to fund 127 graduate research studies since 2004.

“Each year, I am impressed with the high quality of the proposals we receive,” notes Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., chair of OAR’s Scientific Council. “The future of autism research is in good hands with these promising individuals.”

OAR received 26 study proposals this year. Members of the OAR Scientific Council, a group of 16 autism professionals from a variety of fields and backgrounds, reviewed and scored each proposal. Their evaluation was based on three key criteria:

• Alignment with OAR’s research priorities
• Methodological soundness
• Relevance of potential findings for those affected by autism 

In keeping with OAR’s dedication to high quality research, only the best of the best were selected for funding.

Congratulations to the 2017 grant recipients:

• Jonathan Sterling Beck, Brigham Young University: Square Pegs in Round Holes: Investigating How Diagnostic Practices Fail to Identify Females with ASD
• Samantha Bergmann, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Establishing Quality Standards for Applied Behavior Analytic Skill Acquisition Interventions
• Andrea Carcelen, Johns Hopkins University: Estimation of the Prevalence of Autism in Periurban Centers in Lima, Peru
• Heather Coleman, Virginia Commonwealth University: Parent-Implemented Communication Intervention for Young Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
• Sarah Cox, Florida State University: Proportional Reasoning Instruction for Middle School Students with ASD
• Christine Drew, University of Oregon: Wisconsin PROMISE Tele-behavior Support Research Project
• Gerin Gaskin, Claremont Graduate University: Parenting the Spectrum Sensitively: A Positive Emotion Intervention
• Allie Khalulyan, University of Southern California: The Effect of Mutual Gaze on Human Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Controls
• Elaine Kwok, University of Western Ontario: Impact of Auditory Processing on Language Development in Children with ASD
• Elena Luchkina, Brown University: Individuals with Autism May Have Lower Tolerance for Within-category Variability
• Ariana Riccio, The Graduate Center, City University of New York: Developing a Curriculum to Help Adolescents with ASD Enhance Skills Needed to Succeed in STEM Fields

For inquiries regarding the Graduate Research Grant Program or for more information on the 2017 funding cycle, please call OAR at 703-243-3466 or e-mail research@researchautism.org.