# Predicting and Otimizing Language Outcomes in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

> **NIH NIH P50** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2022 · $74,158

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
A significant number of children with ASD remain minimally verbal even after receiving quality interventions.
Previous literature has highlighted the heterogeneity of this group, confirming that while no single mechanism
can explain the underlying causes of their severe communication deficits, innovative targeted behavioral
interventions can lead to improvements in speech and social communication in some older minimally verbal
children. The POLO project is a multidisciplinary effort to identify the motor and neural mechanisms underlying
the profound spoken language impairments in young, minimally verbal children with ASD and to advance our
understanding of how to optimize language outcomes in this younger population. Aim 2 of POLO intends to
investigate links between language impairments and neural functioning including neural oscillatory patterns,
long-range connectivity and auditory processing impairments in minimally verbal children. This supplement will
take a complementary perspective to address the key aim of language impairment and neural functioning by
using fNIRS instead of EEG (Project 2). While EEG provides information about timing, fNIRS is a user-friendly
and (unlike fMRI) movement-tolerant modality which tells us about the localization of brain activity. Thus, we
will extend Project 2’s focus on basic sound and speech to a study of naturalistic language stimuli, exploring
the neural foundations of receptive language in MV children with ASD. We will include one standardized read
aloud story and add one read aloud story on each child’s favored affinity based on Dr. Gabrieli’s work. This
supplement addresses the following aims. AIM 1 Investigate neural activation patterns to language in read
aloud stories in MV ASD children, age and sex-matched verbal ASD children (ASD-VF) and typical controls
(TD) drawn from POLO. The key focus of this aim is on ASD-MV children – there is no prior research
investigating this population. However, we expect a pattern of reduced activation to non-affinity stories,
especially in the left frontal cortex, in comparison with VF and TD peers, which may indicate that targeted
language interventions can be used to improve language comprehension when it is most important: in young,
pre-school aged minimally verbal children. AIM 2: Link neural activation patterns to receptive and expressive
language measures (PLS-5, Mullen/DAS, Natural Language Sample/ELSA) from POLO for the MV group.
There is considerable evidence that ASD is characterized by atypical structural and functional neural
connectivity. This research will address the key aims of POLO to conduct research with younger minimally
verbal children with ASD and link the neural findings to behavior. This supplement extends POLO’s aims by
using fNIRS to identify the brain regions activated by language stimuli in MV children with ASD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10666909
- **Project number:** 3P50DC018006-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** CONNIE L. KASARI
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $74,158
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10666909

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10666909, Predicting and Otimizing Language Outcomes in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (3P50DC018006-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10666909. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*