Improving speech learning in elementary school children with speech sound disorders
Official title: Academic Progress in Phonological Learning for Elementary School children with speech sound disorders (APPLES)
Funded at Florida State University · NIH-11049046 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how different ways of doing speech therapy can help kids who have trouble saying sounds correctly, so they can improve their speech and even do better in reading and spelling.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project start | March 5, 2024 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $509,162 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020940-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11049046 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are elementary school children aged 0-11 years who have been diagnosed with speech sound disorders.
✕Less likely to help
Children who do not have speech sound disorders or are older than 11 years may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on children with speech sound disorders (SSD) who struggle with producing speech sounds correctly. It aims to explore how different aspects of speech therapy, such as group settings and session frequency, can enhance the effectiveness of treatment. By examining the relationship between therapy environment features and speech improvement, the study seeks to identify the best practices for helping children overcome their speech challenges. The findings could inform speech-language pathologists on how to optimize therapy for better outcomes in reading and spelling as well.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective speech therapy practices that improve communication skills and academic performance in children with speech sound disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that targeted speech therapy can significantly improve speech production, indicating that exploring therapy environment factors may also yield beneficial results.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida State University
Tallahassee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Farquharson, Kelly — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Farquharson, Kelly
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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.