Understanding how kids with autism talk and stay motivated across ages and people
Official title: The eye of the beholder: Social communication and motivation across informants, partners and contexts in autism
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11465716 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A long-term study following autistic and non-autistic kids from late childhood into early adolescence to see how social communication and motivation change over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 14, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $671,090 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD123710-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11465716 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents with autism or who are developing typical social skills, starting around ages 4 to 8 and followed into early adolescence.
✕Less likely to help
Children outside the autism spectrum or outside the 4–13 age window may not directly benefit from the study findings.
What this research studies
This project tracks 4- to 13-year-olds as they grow to understand how social interaction and motivation shift with age, sex, and changing social demands. Using multiple methods and sites, researchers will collect observations and measurements over several years to map trajectories in social communication. The goal is to learn when sex differences in autism emerge and how developmental timing affects communication and motivation. The study builds on the SAGA framework to extend rich, longitudinal data across critical growth periods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform more personalized supports for social communication and motivation in autistic youth as they grow.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary longitudinal work has shown that trajectories of social communication can differ by sex and age, but longer follow-up is needed to map developmental changes.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Harrop, Clare Elizabeth — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Harrop, Clare Elizabeth
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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.