Communications Initiative Annual Meeting

A central theme of the NLM Family Foundation’s funding programs has been the need to develop strategies to remediate the communication impairment that is such a prominent feature of autism spectrum disorders.  Towards that end, approximately two years ago the Foundation published a Request for Proposals seeking grants pertinent to this subject.  Over 140 applications were submitted in response to this RFP and, after peer review, 11 applications were selected for funding.  For this meeting, the Foundation invited all of the investigators who received funding to present the results of their work thus far. The purpose was for Foundation Trustees and staff to learn about the progress that grantees have made during the course of their funding from the NLM Family Foundation and to encourage a lively discussion about these research grants amongst all Communications Initiative grant recipients.

Auditory Processing Abilities in Autistic Individuals: Temporal Resolution Versus Temporal Processing Efficiency.

Jose Alcantara, Ph.D., University of Cambridge

Lucia Bigozzi, University of Florence

Lois Black, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University

ERP-based Communication Device for Nonverbal Children on the Autism Spectrum 
Deniz Erdogmus, Ph.D., Northeastern University

Mirror Neuron System and Written Communication through FC in People: A Cortical Profile of Excitability and Inhibition by Means of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation 
Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti, University of Rome, Tor Vergata Medical School

Impaired Speech and Motor Planning in Autism: The Role of the Left IFG 
Hill Goldsmith, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin , Madison

Matthew Goodwin, Ph.D., MIT Media Lab

Receptive Knowledge in Individuals with Autism: Eye Movements, Pupillary Dilation, and Event-Related Potentials 
Barry Gordon, MD, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Frank Guenther, Ph.D., Boston University

Computerized Games to Promote Verbal Expression in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Mohammed Ehsan Hoque, MS, MIT Media Lab

Sensory Stimulation
Michael Leon, Ph.D., University of California , Irvine

Insights on Developing Socially Assistive Robotics as a Tool for Socialization of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders 
Maja J. Mataric, Ph.D., University of Southern California

Maria G. Palmieri, University of Rome, Tor Vergata

Developing and Testing an Intonation-based Intervention to Improve Communication Skills in Autistic Children 
Gottfried Schlaug, MD, Ph.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Facilitated Communication in Boys with Autism: An Analysis of Linguistic and Nonverbal Interactions 
Alda Scopesi, Centro Studi Sulla Comunicazione Facilitata

In Your Own Voice: Personal AAC Voices for Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
Jan van Santen, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University

Mirella Zanobini, Centro Studi Sulla Comunicazione Facilitata

2009

The Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, Wellesley , MA