Better ways to identify and classify reading-related learning disorders in children
Project 1: Advances in classification and identification for specific learning disorders in reading (T1)
This project develops clearer ways to recognize and sort different types of reading problems in children so families and schools can get the right help.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11164530 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child struggles with reading, this project combines basic and applied research to create clearer ways to spot and describe reading disorders in word-level decoding and reading comprehension. The team will study causes, outcomes, and conditions that often occur alongside reading problems and build multi-factor models that use test data and behavioral measures to group children meaningfully. They will test these models on existing and new child data to refine how diagnoses are made and how children are matched to supports. The aim is to help clinicians and educators make more accurate decisions so your child can receive better-targeted interventions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children who have persistent trouble decoding words or understanding written text, typically in elementary and middle school, are the ideal candidates for the approaches developed here.
Not a fit: Children whose reading difficulties are primarily caused by uncorrected vision or hearing problems, severe intellectual disability, or conditions unrelated to reading may not benefit directly from this classification-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more accurate diagnoses and better-matched reading interventions for children with learning-related reading difficulties.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has improved screening and interventions for reading disorders, but this integrated multi-factor approach to classification is relatively novel and aims to address remaining gaps.
Where this research is happening
Tallahassee, United States
- Florida State University — Tallahassee, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wagner, Richard K — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Wagner, Richard K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.