How toddlers with autism learn what captures their attention
Investigation into the role of value learning in core features of autism in toddlers
This project looks at how toddlers with autism learn to notice social things like faces versus non-social patterns.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238538 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's point of view, researchers will show young children images such as faces and evolving patterns and pair some images with social cues (like smiles) or nonsocial rewards to see which items the child starts to notice more. They will compare toddlers with autism to typically developing children to find differences in how social and nonsocial items gain attention. The team will link these attention changes to early brain and learning pathways to understand how altered learning about social cues might shape development. Findings come from behavioral measures during these learning tasks and comparisons across groups.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are toddlers and preschool-aged children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, roughly around 1–5 years old.
Not a fit: Older children, teens, adults, or children without an autism diagnosis are unlikely to benefit directly from participation in this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new early interventions that help autistic children learn to attend to social cues.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies, including prior work from this team, have found altered value learning in preschoolers with ASD, but the underlying mechanisms remain novel and not fully proven.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chawarska, Katarzyna — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Chawarska, Katarzyna
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.