# Oromotor Deficits in Minimally Verbal Children with ASD

> **NIH NIH P50** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2020 · $631,443

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The factors that disrupt the normal acquisition of functional speech in minimally verbal (MV) children with autism
(ASD) remain unknown. The proposed study uses computer-based biomechanic assessment to (1) Identify
oromotor impairments in children with MV ASD; (2) Determine if the motor deficits in children with MV ASD are
specific to the oromotor system or extend globally across motor systems; (3) Determine if the severity of oromotor
deficit predicts impairments in communication development when nonverbal IQ is controlled for; and (4)
Determine how oromotor development and language ability in children with MV ASD change over time. The
scientific premise for this project is that biomechanic-based assessments will yield direct, objective, and highly-
replicable information about the oromotor capabilities of children with MV ASD. To accomplish our aims, we will
obtain comprehensive profiles of oromotor performance from 60 children with MV ASD, 45 age- and sex-matched
verbal children with ASD, and 45 similarly matched TD controls using non-invasive, 3D facial-motion capture
technology. We will also obtain clinical measures of speech and language ability, and several selected measure
of gross motor function. All measures will be obtained longitudinally every 12 months for three time points. Robust
statistical modeling methods will be used to characterize individual patterns of change in oromotor performance
and the association between the acquisition of speech motor skills and those in other developmental domains
(i.e., language and general-motor). The information obtained from this study will provide the foundational
knowledge needed to address ongoing clinical and scientific challenges including improving early detection of
autism impairments, predicting communication outcomes, and identifying the neurobiological and genetic
mechanisms affecting communication development in this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001017
- **Project number:** 5P50DC018006-02
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** JORDAN R GREEN
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $631,443
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001017, Oromotor Deficits in Minimally Verbal Children with ASD (5P50DC018006-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001017. Licensed CC0.

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