Helping children with language disorder learn new words from reading
Official title: Contextual Word Learning in Children with DLD
Funded at State University of Ny,binghamton · NIH-11161158 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries a reading-based teaching method to help children with developmental language disorder learn and remember new words.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of Ny,binghamton NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Binghamton, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $194,275 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DC020018-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11161158 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
School-age children with a diagnosed developmental language disorder—roughly elementary-school ages (about 6–11 years)—are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
This program is unlikely to help adults, very young children outside the targeted school-age range, or children whose language difficulties stem from severe intellectual disability rather than DLD.
What this research studies
Children will take part in a short program that teaches them how to guess and explain word meanings while reading. The program combines lessons about making semantic inferences with practice reading multiple texts that use new words in different ways. First the approach is tested with typically developing children, and then the same program is offered to children who have developmental language disorder. Each child completes three brief sessions that include repeated meaning-generation and explanation activities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could help children with developmental language disorder learn more words from everyday reading and improve school and life opportunities.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show metalinguistic training and exposure to diverse text contexts help typical children learn words, but combining these approaches for children with developmental language disorder is a new application.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of Ny,binghamton
Binghamton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Duff, Dawna — State University of Ny,binghamton
- Study coordinator: Duff, Dawna
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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.