UT2 Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the UT2 Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) Program. The purpose of this program is to establish and maintain an interdisciplinary, multicenter research platform for scientific collaboration and infrastructure building. The Research Network will provide national leadership in research to advance the evidence base on effective interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities (ASD/DD), with a focus on addressing physical health and well-being across the lifespan. Physical health may include, but is not limited to, medical, dental, visual, nutrition, and speech/hearing components. The Research Network will determine the evidence-based practices for interventions to improve the physical health of individuals with ASD/DD across the lifespan, develop guidelines for those interventions, and disseminate information related to such research and guidelines as authorized by the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 (Autism CARES Act). ASD/DD initiatives focused on behavioral health will not be considered for this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). A separate NOFO is available for the Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavioral Health (AIR-B) Program (Funding opportunity number HRSA-20-055). The Research Network will: • Lead, promote, and coordinate national research activities to improve the physical health and well-being of children and adolescents with ASD/DD as they transition to adulthood across the lifespan, especially those from underserved populations with limited access to effective ASD/DD treatments;2,3 • Develop and maintain an infrastructure to support the design of a portfolio of an interdisciplinary research focuses on fostering the implementation of multi-site intervention research studies, translating research to policy and practice; • Provide an environment for mentoring and training the next generation of diverse clinical and non-clinical researchers in applied and translational autism research and practice • Address, where applicable, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) priorities, namely, mental health, opioid use disorder, prescription drug pricing, maternal health, and telehealth; and • Indicate how study findings will further develop the evidence base, where relevant for this program and in alignment with the research and surveillance activities identified in the Autism CARES Act.