Improving how adults remember speech sounds, with or without language disorder
Official title: Improving the retention of speech-perceptual learning in adults with and without language disorder
Funded at University of Delaware · NIH-11374860 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests different training schedules to help adults remember speech sounds better, including those with developmental language disorder (DLD).
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Delaware NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $399,943 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC019901-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11374860 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults (with or without DLD) who are willing to participate in a study of speech-perceptual training over 24 hours.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not willing to engage in training sessions or who have contraindications to participation may not benefit.
What this research studies
Many adults with DLD struggle to learn and remember new speech sounds, which can affect education and work. The study will compare six training schedules over 24 hours to see which helps retention best, considering sleep and circadian factors. They will recruit 240 adults, half with DLD and half without, and use speech-perceptual training to measure retention. The goal is to find practice patterns that maximize lasting learning for all adults. The work mixes ideas from how the brain learns, body rhythms, and spoken language.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could guide how to structure speech-learning activities for adults to improve long-term retention, especially for those with DLD.
How similar studies have gone: Past research suggests training schedules and sleep timing can influence learning, but this exact combination for speech-perceptual retention in DLD is new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Delaware
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Earle, Frances Sayako — University of Delaware
- Study coordinator: Earle, Frances Sayako
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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.