Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) awarded $818,502 to the Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc. under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) on February 3, 2026. This Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator R01 Project Grant supports a longitudinal neuroimaging study titled "GLOW: Gleaning Language Trajectories and Outcomes in Autistic Toddlers Using Wearable Brain Imaging." The research will extend through January 31, 2031, and will deliver comprehensive scientific investigation into the neural mechanisms underlying heterogeneous language development in autistic toddlers during the critical 18-36 month developmental window.

The primary deliverable is a prospective longitudinal study recruiting 222 toddlers across three groups (autistic with language delay, autistic without language delay, and neurotypical controls) to undergo high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) neuroimaging at four time points paired with comprehensive spoken language assessments. The research will generate novel data on whether disruptions in the typical left-lateralization of language-related brain networks contribute to persistent language delays in autism, with findings intended to inform development of more personalized, neurobiologically informed early intervention approaches for minimally verbal autistic toddlers.