Request for Proposals:
Auditory and Hearing Assessment in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation seeks proposals from qualified institutions and multidisciplinary teams to design, test, and evaluate new models for hearing assessment in autistic individuals, especially those who are non-verbal or minimally verbal. The goal is to develop accurate, accessible, and sensory-friendly approaches for adults—especially those with limited language skills or other communication or sensory challenges.
Background
Auditory sensitivity and sensory differences often affect communication and clinical experiences for autistic people. Age related and other forms of hearing loss in the neurotypical population are known to contribute to increased social isolation, functional difficulties, possible cognitive decline, and other serious consequences if left undiagnosed and untreated. Yet auditory testing in the autistic population, particularly in the adult and aging autistic population, may be especially complicated due to apraxia and other sensory challenges creating a barrier to proper auditory assessment and ultimately informed coping strategies and treatment. Standard hearing tests may be challenging or stressful as can the fitting of hearing aids. This RFP encourages collaboration among audiology, neuroscience, speech-language pathology, education, and autistic individuals and families to create and validate adapted assessment methods. This RFP is specifically designed to solicit proposals to explore methods to improve audiology testing and treatment using novel tools and technologies rather than an attempt to explore sensory challenges of this population in the broader sense.
Objectives
Examples of relevant projects might include:
• Developing or refining hearing assessment tools that are valid, feasible, and acceptable for diverse autistic participants, especially minimally verbal and non-verbal adults who may be experiencing age-related and other forms of hearing loss.
• Evaluating the reliability and accuracy (psychometrics) of these tools.
• Exploring objective markers such as EEG/ERP, otoacoustic emissions or other tools and technologies that can complement or enhance audiology testing and/or the fitting of hearing aids.
• Creating practical models for clinics, schools, communities, or telehealth.
Research must:
• Include adapted behavioral and objective auditory tests, patient/caregiver-reported outcomes, and inclusive recruitment strategies.
• Follow all ethical standards (IRB, consent, HIPAA).
Deliverables include progress reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and community-friendly dissemination plans.
Eligibility
Open to accredited universities, medical and research centers, and nonprofit institutes. Teams should have expertise in autism, hearing science, or sensory processing.
Proposal Requirements (max 10 pages)
• Cover page: Title, investigators, institutions, budget, timeline.
• Abstracts: 1-page scientific and lay summaries.
• Research plan: Aims, background, methods, analysis, stakeholder engagement, participant protections.
• Team/environment: Personnel bios, facilities description.
• Timeline & budget: Activities, milestones, detailed costs (indirect costs capped at 10%).
• Reviewers: Up to five suggested peer reviewers.
• Human subjects: Ethics and data security procedures.
Funding
Awards up to $250,000 over two years, with second-year funding based on satisfactory progress.
Application deadline: September 8, 2026.
Please email the NLM Family Foundation at info@nlmfoundation.org with any questions.