Researcher receives first NIH K grant in College of Allied Health Sciences

Andrea Ford, PhD, a speech-language pathologist and assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been awarded a four-year, $765,000 K23 grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

One of Ford’s mentors is Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, who said communication is a fundamental human connection that’s often taken for granted.

“Through this work, Dr. Ford is not only equipping educators with tools to bridge the communication divide between their students and the world, she is also applying a methodology that supports broad, scalable implementation. This effort will empower educators and their students to thrive,” said Meinzen-Derr, a professor in UC’s College of Medicine and a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center researcher.

The NIH K award program is designed to support scientists in their research careers while pursuing innovative projects. As part of her grant, Ford will take part in specialized career development opportunities, including coursework and workshops.

Ford also plans to earn a graduate certificate in community-engaged research for health, offered by UC’s College of Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences through the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST). The program emphasizes integrating community engagement into research design.

Ford’s research project will roll out in phases: During the first two years, she and her team will conduct a group-level assessment and engage local educators and caregivers in mixed-methods research to shape the model and build a community of practice.

Ford is inviting preschool educators from around the Tristate, including Cincinnati Public Schools, to form three groups of 25 people to take part in interactive focus group-like sessions as a needs assessment.

“We want to better understand their professional development needs around supporting the language and communication development of preschoolers with autism. We want them to provide input on the support they need and how they want it to be provided,” said Ford.

Adults with autism will also take part in the process. “Our guiding principle, ‘nothing about us without us,’ embodies the motto of many advocates for those with disabilities," Ford said. “Including the voices of individuals with autism ensures the model reflects the lived experience of the community it’s meant to serve.”

The final two years of the grant will focus on taking all of the input that emerges from the collaborative process and then designing and implementing a free virtual learning community in partnership with ECHO Autism. Up to 40 preschool educators will engage in interactive sessions that go beyond traditional workshops. Participants will collaborate with Ford’s team to develop specific intervention strategies — for example, building and modeling augmentative communication systems using iPads or picture symbols. Ford hopes the project will serve as a scalable, sustainable way to support educators and improve communication outcomes for young children with autism.

“Dr. Ford is directly addressing a critical gap in professional development for educators who support preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. By partnering with key stakeholders, she is working to increase the adoption of special intervention strategies designed to improve the communication of preschoolers with autism,” said Meinzen-Derr.

Featured image at top: Andrea Ford, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, is a speech-language pathologist and researches early childhood education and autism language learning disabilities. Photo/Sarah Eifert/College of Allied Health Sciences.