News and Knowledge

On November 2, OAR’s Scientific Council met in Washington, D.C., to select the best studies from the 2019 Applied Research Competition. OAR received 148 pre-proposals and invited 45 applicants to submit full proposals. Only 16 full proposals were selected to move on to the final round.

After much deliberation, the Scientific Council recommended seven research projects to OAR’s Board of Directors, which authorized the study funding. These seven new grants totaled $275,000 and bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $4 million since 2002.

OAR congratulates the 2019 Applied Research Grant Recipients:

• Helping Optimize Language Acquisition (HOLA): Online Parent Training Modules for Latinx Parents of Toddlers at Risk for ASD 

          Robin Dodds, Ph.D. 
          California State University Los Angeles (CSULA), Los Angeles, California

• Developing a Diagnosis-Specific Training and Treatment Protocol for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Admitted to Acute General Psychiatry Units

          Jill Cherie Fodstad, Ph.D., BCBA-D
          Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana

• A Pilot Study of Outpatient Mental Health Crisis Screening in Youth and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder 

          Luther Kalb, Ph.D. & Roma Vasa, M.D.
          Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland

• Piloting an Integrated Anxiety Intervention for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

          Amy Keefer, Ph.D.
          Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland

• Supporting the Most Vulnerable: A Randomized Feasibility Trial of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth with ASD 

          Christina McDonnell, Ph.D., Angela Scarpa, Ph.D., & Tom Ollendick, Ph.D.
          Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research, Blacksburg, Virginia

• Autistic Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults

          Anna van der Miesen, M.D., John Strang, Psy.D., & Meng-Chuan Lai, M.D., Ph.D.
          VU University Medical Center and Children’s National Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Systematic Adaptation of Evidence-based Resources to Support Adults with ASD in Community Settings

         Jessica Suhrheinrich, Ph.D.
         San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Congratulations to the 2019 Applied Research Grant recipients!

Beginning in January, OAR will feature research previews of each new study in The OARacle. For more information on the newly funded studies or on OAR’s Applied Research Competition, contact OAR at 703-243-9762 or via email.