The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) announced its 2019 Novel Outcome Measures in ASD request for applications (RFA).
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to support the development and validation of clinically relevant outcome measures that will sensitively and reliably distinguish treatment effects from placebo response on the core symptoms of ASD (i.e., impairments in social communication and social interaction; restricted/repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities; sensory symptoms).
Such measures should provide objective data with strong psychometric properties, be scalable for use in large, multisite studies, not be unduly burdensome to participants and families and have evident clinical relevance. They would ideally capture naturalistic rather than laboratory behavior and be applicable to subjects across a wide range of ages and levels of functioning.
SFARI will hold two informational videoconference calls on January 25, 2019, at noon EST and on January 29, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. EST. Participation is completely optional. Both sessions will be recorded and posted online.
They request that investigators who intend to submit a proposal send an email by February 15, 2019, with the intended investigators’ names and affiliations and the intended proposal’s title to sfgrants@simonsfoundation.org with the subject line: “Novel Outcome Measures RFA Notice of Intent.”
The deadline for applications is March 1, 2019, 5:00 p.m. EST. Detailed information and application instructions are available here.
