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Western's TRI recipient of $1.4 million in grants

MONMOUTH -- Western Oregon University's Teaching Research Institute (TRI) has been awarded two grants totaling more than $1.4 million.

October 23, 2012

MONMOUTH -- Western Oregon University's Teaching Research Institute (TRI) has been awarded two grants totaling more than $1.4 million.

The grants will help TRI develop ways to help people with traumatic brain injuries and to conduct research on the effects of massage on autism patients.

TRI received a three-year award from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research for $600,000 to create a program for victims of traumatic brain injuries that creates general problem solving strategies that can be applied to everyday environments.

Approximately 150 adults with brain injuries will be involved with the study.

TRI also received $842,382 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal and Child Health Bureau for research on parent-delivered massage for young children with autism.

For the past decade, TRI has been involved in training parents to give specialized daily massages to their kids. Results show that the massage is effective in reversing difficulties with touch, and that children become calmer, are better able to learn and have improved behavior.