# Early Social Communication Environment and Brain Development in Infants at Risk for Autism

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · 2021 · $238,062

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Career Goal: My long-term research goal is to identify features of the early social communication environment
that are early intervention targets for infants that go on to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The overall
objective of this application, which is the next step toward attainment of my long-term goal, is to determine
which aspects of the early social communication environment are protective factors for brain development and
behavioral outcome. Research Project: Children with ASD who grow up in rich social communication
environments show superior language abilities later in life when compared to children who grow up in less rich
social communication environments; however, to date it is unknown if the social communication environment
from birth to two years impacts brain development and behavioral outcome in infants at high-familial risk for
ASD. Given that the first year of life is a time of great brain plasticity and before the emergence of the
diagnostic features of ASD, determining early influential brain mechanisms and intervening during this time
could yield ideal outcomes. The goal of the current project is to determine if a rich early social communicative
environment supports optimal brain and behavioral development in infants at high-risk for ASD who do and do
not go on to develop ASD. Additionally, an independent sample of infants will be studied to determine optimal
periods for intervention by searching for time-dependent associations between the social communication
environment and brain/behavior development. Specific Aims: 1) To define patterns of association between the
early social communication environment with language and brain development in infants at low-risk for ASD.
(K99); 2) To determine if the early communication environment is a protective factor for brain development and
autism symptoms in infants at high-risk for ASD. (K99); 3) To identify the time window when the association
between the social communication environment and infant brain development is the strongest. (R00). Career
Development: This K99/R00 award will provide the necessary training I require before transitioning into an
independent position including: mastering advanced diffusion tensor imaging analytic techniques, becoming
proficient in structural magnetic resonance imaging, training in MRI acquisition of infant neuroimaging data,
gaining skills in the application of novel computer algorithms to automatically characterize the social
communication environment, and completing training in advanced statistical approaches to investigate
environment-brain-behavior relationships. Mentorship: To support my training and career development a
highly accomplished, multidisciplinary team has agreed to provide mentorship. My mentoring team includes a
primary mentor, Dr. Joseph Piven (Dept. of Psychiatry, UNC), a secondary mentor, Dr. Martin Styner (Dept. of
Computer Science, UNC), and two complimentary collaborators: Drs. James Rehg (School ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10133471
- **Project number:** 5R00MH108700-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS
- **Principal Investigator:** Meghan Rae Swanson
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $238,062
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-02 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10133471

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10133471, Early Social Communication Environment and Brain Development in Infants at Risk for Autism (5R00MH108700-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10133471. Licensed CC0.

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