News and Knowledge

OAR is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 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 $20,372. These new grants add up to more than $269,970 awarded to fund 149 graduate research studies since 2004.

“Given the quality of proposals that we reviewed, I am confident that the future of autism research holds great promise,” says Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., chair of OAR’s Scientific Council. “I look forward to the findings the grant recipients’ studies produce.”

OAR received 42 study proposals this year. Members of the OAR Scientific Council, a group of 18 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 2019 grant recipients:

• Leigh Ashley, University of South Florida:“Lets Play Together!” Peer Implemented Pivotal Response Training With Preschoolers With Autism.
• Karis Casagrande, Michigan State University: Family Training Under the Medicaid Autism Benefit: Understanding Parent Perspectives on Barriers to Engagement
• Yun-Ju Chen, University of Southern California: Developmental Trajectories of Sensory Features and Later Functional Outcomes in ASD: a Longitudinal Subtyping Study from Infancy to School Age
• Aaron Dallman, Iowa State University: An Ecological Momentary and Ethnographic Assessment of Emotional Dynamics in Autism: Examining the Relationship Between Affective Inertia, Instability, and Depression
• Lindsay Glugatch, University of Oregon: STEPS (Sibling Techniques for Enhancing Play and Support) for Strengthening the Sibling Bond of Children with Autism
• Hannah Morton, Binghamton University: Assessment of Bullying Perpetration and Victimization for Parents of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Ashley Muskett, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: Feasibility of Concurrent Observational and Physiological Data Collection for Children with Minimally-Verbal ASD
• Bobbi Rohwer, University of Minnesota: Evaluation of an Explicit-Visual Syntax Intervention for Minimally-Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Pumpki Su, Vanderbilt University: Perception of Prosody in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Qi Wei, University of Oregon: Acceptability of Behavioral Treatment Among Chinese Parents
• Vanessa Zhou, Seattle Pacific University: A Pilot Study of Executive Functioning in Chinese Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

For inquiries regarding the Graduate Research Grant Program or for more information on the 2019 funding cycle, please call OAR at 703-243-3466 or e-mail research@researchautism.org.