Improving language skills in preschoolers with developmental language disorder
Official title: Maximizing outcomes for preschoolers with developmental language disorder: testing the effects of a sequentially targeted naturalistic intervention
Funded at Vanderbilt University · NIH-10458070 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at a new way to help preschoolers who might have trouble with language by using a special program that parents and therapists can do together, to see if it can boost their vocabulary and grammar skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 16, 2018 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2022 |
| Award (this year) | $1,085,913 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DC017135-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10458070 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are preschool-aged children, around 30 months old, who are at risk for developmental language disorder.
✕Less likely to help
Children who do not exhibit signs of language delays or who have other significant developmental concerns may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how a specific intervention can enhance vocabulary and grammar in preschoolers at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD). The approach involves a hybrid intervention that combines Enhanced Milieu Teaching with a sentence-focused treatment sequence, implemented by both parents and therapists. By comparing this intervention to a control group, the study aims to determine its effectiveness in improving language outcomes for young children. The research will also explore factors that may influence the success of the intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved language skills and better academic and social outcomes for preschoolers with developmental language disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown that naturalistic interventions can improve vocabulary in toddlers, but this specific approach is novel in its sustained focus on language development.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kaiser, Ann P. — Vanderbilt University
- Study coordinator: Kaiser, Ann P.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Retrieval-based Word Learning for Young Children with Developmental Language Disorder
A project helps 4- to 5-year-olds with language disorder learn new words more effectively using memory-based learning tricks.
-
Predicting Developmental Language Delay in Young Children
A study of young children to identify early signs that predict developmental language delay, using timing and processing measures from two new language screening tools.
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Understanding how infants’ early speech becomes language skills and how it might signal language disorders
This grant studies how a baby’s brain learns sounds in the first year of life and whether early patterns can predict and prevent language disorders.
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Language in adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder
This grant helps researchers study how language abilities develop and change in adults with and without developmental language disorder to improve understanding and support.
-
Understanding short-term verbal memory in children and adults with Developmental Language Disorder
A study to understand the memory and language links in people with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) across kids and adults.
-
Computer-assisted bilingual vocabulary help for kids with language disorder
A computer-assisted program helps monolingual clinicians teach bilingual Spanish-English vocabulary to emergent bilingual children with developmental language disorder.
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.