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NOT-DC-23-014 - Notice to Extend the Response date for NOT-DC-23-013, "Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Input Regarding NIDCDs Research Directions to Support Communication in Minimally Verbal/Non-Speaking People"

Issued by

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Purpose

Purpose:

This Request for Information (RFI) asks for input on NIDCD’s research directions to support communication in minimally verbal/non-speaking people. Anyone is allowed to respond.

Background:

The NIDCD held a workshop on January 24-25, 2023. This workshop focused on new research needed to support communication by minimally verbal/non-speaking autistic people. The workshop produced many themes for further research including:

• increasing community engagement in research
• improving technology
• exploring the range of communication skills and needs
• using different research approaches to personalize interventions
• expanding the range of skills and outcomes that interventions focus on to improve communication
• expanding the range of evaluation and outcome measures that can reliably assess individual needs

NIDCD now seeks to understand the broader needs and priorities of:

• the larger community of minimally verbal/non-speaking people (including and beyond autistic people)
• professionals and others who support minimally verbal/non-speaking people
• researchers focusing on communication in minimally verbal/non-speaking people
• any other interested party

Information Requested:

NIDCD invites anyone with interests in communication in minimally verbal/non-speaking people to provide input on any or all of the following topics from a personal, service delivery, or research view:

1. The biggest communication needs for minimally verbal/non-speaking people
2. The greatest roadblocks to supporting and improving communication for minimally verbal/non-speaking people
3. The highest priority research targets to advance communication for minimally verbal/non-speaking individuals
4. The best ways to increase partnerships between researchers and minimally verbal/non-speaking people to guide research projects

Submitting a Response:

All responses to this RFI must be submitted at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/nidcd-minimally-verbal-rfi by August 1, 2023.

This request is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the United States Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that information.

The NIDCD will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion and will not provide comments to any responder’s submission. No proprietary, classified, confidential or sensitive information should be included in your response. Respondent names and email addresses will be removed to anonymize submissions. Anonymized responses may be shared with NIH staff, the NDCD Advisory Council and/or other scientific expert groups convened by the NIDCD. Responses may have shared interests with other Institutes.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Holly L. Storkel, PhD
National Institue on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Email: NIDCDMinVerbRFI@nidcd.nih.gov