{"id":3816,"date":"2016-07-29T11:00:51","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/?page_id=3816"},"modified":"2026-06-04T14:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:08:54","slug":"past-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/research\/past-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Past Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Past Research\"\"<\/h3>\n

<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>Predicting and Optimizing Language Outcomes (POLO)<\/h4>\n

Study Focus<\/strong>: In-person POLO studies seek to understand the difference between: a) children with ASD who start with language delays but make gains during early school years, and b) children with ASD who remain minimally verbal.<\/p>\n

Recruiting<\/strong>: POLO is currently recruiting children ages 3 1\/2 – 7 years with or without Autism Spectrum Disorder OR children or young adults who have already participated in any other CARE study, any age.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More About POLO<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Assessing, Characterizing, and Observing Reading and Number Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ACORN)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Study Focus:\u00a0<\/strong>ACORN is a remote study investigating, the reading, number, and letter skills and experiences of of children with ASD\u00a0 who have difficulties with spoken language.<\/p>\n

Recruiting:\u00a0<\/strong>Children 5-8 years old with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder\u00a0and<\/span> limited spoken language.<\/p>\n

Read More about ACORN<\/a> \u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Social Play Research On Understanding Treatment<\/strong>\u00a0Expectations (SPROUT)<\/h4>\n

Study Focus:<\/strong> Investigating changes in expressive language\u00a0and social communication in<\/span> children with ASD over the course of the play-based intervention, JASPER.<\/p>\n

Recruiting:<\/strong> Young children with ASD 18 months to 5 years of age; we will begin recruiting for this lab-based study in September 2021.<\/p>\n

Read More About Sprout<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"\" Project STORY<\/h4>\n

Study Focus:\u00a0<\/strong>Learn more about how the brains of preschool-aged children with and without autism function during live social interactions.<\/p>\n

Recruitment:<\/strong> Children (3-5 years old) with no known developmental delays or disorders AND Children (3-5 years old) with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder\/ ASD.<\/p>\n

Read More About Project STORY \u2192<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Infant Screening Project (ISP)<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Study Focus<\/strong>: Identifying risk markers for\u00a0autism spectrum disorders and\/or\u00a0communication difficulties across early development.<\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Read More About ISP<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

Publications that came from ISP<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Training Early Social Language in Children with Autism (TESLA)<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Study Focus<\/strong>: Investigating how targeted interventions in key early skills can lead to advances in social language and changes in the brain<\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About TESLA<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"ATLAS\"Attention Training for Listening in Autism Study (ATLAS)<\/h5>\n

ATLAS explored whether a novel video game could improve auditory attentional abilities in young adults and adolescents with ASD, as measured by changes in hearing abilities, behavior, and noninvasive brain imaging.<\/p>\n

Due to Covid-19, ATLAS created a remote study<\/a> interviewing caregivers of young adults with ASD and sensory sensitivities. Analyses on the data collected as part of this remote project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About ATLAS<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apps for Language Enhancement Study (AppLES)<\/h5>\n

AppLES explored whether mobile apps for tablets could increase language in minimally verbal children and adolescents with autism. While there has been an explosion in the number of mobile apps developed for children, including those with autism, few researchers have investigated whether apps lead to significant changes in language.<\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About AppLES<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h5>\n
Autism Center of Excellence (ACE)<\/span><\/h5>\n

The primary mission for ACE was to advance scientific knowledge about language and social communication in children with autism. ACE supports three projects which collectively enhanced our understanding of autism and language. Our studies provided convenient and fun ways for children and their families\u00a0to participate in research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About ACE<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

Publications that came from ACE<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"World\"<\/a><\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
Autism and Culture Study<\/h5>\n

This study focused on issues related to cultural diversity and their impact on ethnic and racial minority families who have children diagnosed with ASD. We were particularly interested in exploring the significance of immigration, bilingualism, and cultural\u00a0background on\u00a0the language abilities of children with ASD. This study was specifically focused on South Asian families residing in the United States.<\/p>\n

Read More About the Autism and Culture Study<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h5>\n
Brain Imaging Language Development (BILD)<\/h5>\n

BILD was a project that used fMRI to examine how the brain processes language. The project focused on whether children with autism use different brain pathways for language, and how they compare to children with other language based learning disorders and typically developing children.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About BILD<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h5>\n
Child Auditory Processing Study (CAPS) <\/span><\/h5>\n

CAPS used EEG to investigate the brain systems underlying speech and sound processing. We are interested in how children with autism and their typically developing peers use auditory and visual cues to understand language. There were two branches of CAPS \u2013 one focused on typically developing children and adolescents (ages 3-17) and the other focused on children and adolescents with Autism (ages 3-21).<\/span><\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More About CAPS<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Deaf Autism Project<\/h5>\n

This project was the world’s largest study on autism in deaf children learning sign language. We hope that the data collected during our study will lead to better treatment options for deaf children as well as a better understanding of how autism affects learning in both deaf and hearing children.<\/p>\n

Analyses on the data collected as part of this project are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>Read More About the Deaf Autism Project<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Williams Syndrome Research<\/h5>\n

A love for people is characteristic of individuals with Williams syndrome, and it is hard not to be charmed by their friendly and sociable nature. But what do people with Williams syndrome really understand about others? How do people with Williams Syndrome perceive and process social and emotional information? How do they monitor their attention to social and nonsocial aspects of their environment?<\/p>\n

Our studies of individuals with Williams syndrome \u00a0addressed these questions, using a variety of methodologies.<\/p>\n

Read More about Williams Syndrome Research<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Past Research Predicting and Optimizing Language Outcomes (POLO) Study Focus: In-person POLO studies seek to understand the difference between: a) children with ASD who start with language delays but make gains during early school years, and b) children with ASD who remain minimally verbal. Recruiting: POLO is currently recruiting children ages 3 1\/2 – 7 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10319,"featured_media":0,"parent":1701,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3816"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10319"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3816"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7852,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3816\/revisions\/7852"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/autism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}