ASF Announces 2026 Suzanne Wright Memorial Research Accelerator Grant Recipient

NEW YORK — September 23, 2026 — The Autism Science Foundation (ASF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding innovative autism research, today announced that Virginia Carter Leno, PhD, of Birkbeck University and University College London, has received the 2026 Suzanne Wright Memorial Research Accelerator Grant. The grant will expand an ongoing study of how young children respond to sensory information by adding an objective measure of sensitivity to touch that does not require young children to describe what they feel, thus opening participation in the study to children who are nonverbal.

Differences in responses to sensory information are common in autism and can emerge early in life. Yet researchers still know relatively little about the brain mechanisms behind these differences or how they may shape development over time.

“Accelerator Grants give researchers the opportunity to expand or speed up studies already underway,” said ASF Chief Science Officer Dr. Alycia Halladay. “This project could help us better understand sensory differences early in development and improve how we assess children who cannot describe their experiences in words.”

ASF renamed its Accelerator Grants in 2022 to honor pioneering autism advocate Suzanne Wright. Suzanne, who died in 2016, co-founded Autism Speaks in 2005 after her grandson was diagnosed with autism. She raised millions of dollars to fund autism research and consistently reminded scientists that the autism community needed answers urgently.

Project Description:

Virginia Carter Leno, PhD
Birkbeck University and University College London
Understanding Early Sensory Differences and Their Impact on Development

The SENSOR project is a longitudinal study in the United Kingdom that will follow children beginning at ages 3 to 5. Researchers will examine how early sensory responses and brain function relate to later developmental outcomes, including autism-related traits and symptoms.

ASF Accelerator funding will allow the team to add an objective measure of sensitivity to touch that does not require young children to describe what they feel. Researchers will also test whether eye tracking can provide an objective measure of sensory responses in children with and without autism. These approaches could lead to better ways to assess sensory sensitivity in children with profound autism who cannot reliably provide verbal responses.

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