Helping children with language disorder learn new words from reading
Contextual Word Learning in Children with DLD
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 ID | NIH-11161158 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: School-age children with a diagnosed developmental language disorder—roughly elementary-school ages (about 6–11 years)—are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
Binghamton, United States
- State University of Ny,binghamton — Binghamton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Duff, Dawna — State University of Ny,binghamton
- Study coordinator: Duff, Dawna
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.