The NIH R01 is the largest single category of support provided by the NIDCD and by the NIH.
- considered the traditional grant mechanism.
- awarded to organizations on behalf of an individual (a principal investigator, or PI) to facilitate pursuit of a research objective in the area of the investigator’s research interests and competence.
Examples of NIH R01
Eye Tracking Technologies to Characterize and Optimize Visual Attending in Down Syndrome (Wilkinson, Krista)
This research aims to improve the design of AAC displays through characterization of visual attention patterns to different AAC displays and their effects on functional use. Eye tracking – rarely used in DS – will reveal attention patterns/processes that typically go unrecorded in behavioral research. Our three-phase program will begin with eye tracking studies of visual attention under largely non-social laboratory conditions. In the next phase, we will introduce social interactions and record gaze path using mobile eye tracking technology. In the final phase, we will translate the knowledge gained in the laboratory studies to optimize functional communication in individuals with DS in performing tasks that represent typical daily life activities.
Peer-Mediated AAC Intervention for Children with Autism: Effects on Communication (Thiemann-Bourque, K.)
We will examine the effects of PM-AAC on communication and social interactions between preschoolers with and without autism in inclusive settings, and how skills generalize and maintain in non-treatment settings. Effectiveness will be evaluated using a multiple-baseline (MB) comparative AB design using block randomization based on cognitive abilities to randomly assign 12 children with autism each year to a PM-AAC treatment group (n=6) or an AAC comparison group (n=6). The MB design will be replicated across a total of four cohorts of 12 participants with autism over four years (n=48 total), with repeated measures on functional communication collected for both treatment and comparison groups allowing for analysis of between group differences at the end of year 4.