OARacle Newsletter

OAR awarded nine grants totaling $16,312.97 in the 2023 Graduate Research Competition. These newly funded grants are a part of the more than $322,067 awarded to fund more than 180 graduate research studies since 2003. The program offers up to $1,000 to master’s students and $2,000 to doctoral candidates or post-doctoral students to conduct autism-focused research.

OAR received 26 study proposals this year. Members of OAR’s Scientific Council 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 these 2023 grant recipients!

• Justine Brennan, University of Alabama: The Impact of Support on Mothers of Autistic Children
• Michal Cook, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: TEACCH Autism Gives (TAG): Development of a structured community service program for autistic adults
• Alan Gerber, Yale University: A Novel In-Vivo Approach to Understanding Loneliness and Suicidality in Autistic Adolescents
• Lei Huang, University of Georgia: Special Education Advocacy Training for Chinese Immigrant Families Who Have Children with Autism: A Pilot Study
• Hyeyoung Kim, The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles: Korean American Parents’ Experiences in Disclosing Their Child’s Autism Diagnosis to The Affected Child
• Casey Lewis, Oklahoma State University: A Grounded Theory Approach to Exploring the Worlds of Chronically Ill Autistic Adults
• Setareh Moslemi, University of North Texas: Evaluation of a Brief Podcast to Teach Caregivers to Use Positive Reinforcement with Their Child with Autism
• Jessica Smith, The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia: A Blueprint for Building Capacity: Understanding Providers’ Barriers and Facilitators to Service Provision for Autistic Children
• Shuqi Yu, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: How ethnicity and neurodiversity affect caregivers’ ideal affect: an exploratory study comparing Asian and European American parents of children with and without autism

For inquiries regarding the Graduate Research Grant Program or for more information on the 2023 funding cycle, please call OAR at 571-977-5391 or e-mail us at research @researchautism.org.