# Auditory precursors of language delay in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $588,497

## Abstract

Abstract
Language delay and impairments are common in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), as are sensory (including
auditory) anomalies. Since acquisition of spoken language relies on the integrity of the auditory system,
language delay and impairments may be related to sound processing abnormalities that are frequently
observed in children with ASDs (despite normal peripheral hearing). However, it is not understood if and how
early auditory brain anomalies may developmentally contribute to impaired language development.
 This project will examine the maturation of auditory and language systems in the brain across early
childhood, during the critical period for language acquisition. We will employ a longitudinal design and
multimodal neuroimaging, including high-resolution anatomical, diffusion, and functional magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), with added frequent and extensive behavioral and neuropsychological assessments. Our
central hypothesis is that early disruptions to cortical sound processing precede and predict language
impairments in ASDs and may thus be considered causal contributors – a hypothesis that has been frequently
considered in the literature, but never tested at the neural level.
 Our aims are to thoroughly characterize the structural integrity and functional differentiation of the
cortical auditory and language systems (Aim 1) and their maturational trajectories (Aim 2) in toddlers with
ASDs and age-matched typically developing peers. This will allow us to establish whether neural abnormalities
in cortical processing of complex sounds in toddlers are predictive of language development and social
behavior at the pre-school age (Aim 3). The rationale and translational significance of this project are that
identification of alterations in brain development linked to language delay and impairment in the first years of
life will allow for more targeted interventions in the auditory domain at a time when they are most effective.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132296
- **Project number:** 5R01DC017736-03
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ralph-Axel Mueller
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $588,497
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-15 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132296, Auditory precursors of language delay in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (5R01DC017736-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132296. Licensed CC0.

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