Improving word learning for young children with developmental language disorder
Official title: Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder
Funded at Purdue University · NIH-11162494 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests whether asking four- and five-year-old children with developmental language disorder to frequently recall new words, including through storybooks and sentence practice, helps them learn and remember vocabulary better than other ways of teaching.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Purdue University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Lafayette, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2016 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $511,294 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC014708-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11162494 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are four- and five-year-old children diagnosed with developmental language disorder (also known as specific language impairment) who can participate in word-learning tasks.
✕Less likely to help
Children outside the 4–5 year age range or whose language issues are primarily due to hearing loss, autism, intellectual disability, or other known medical conditions may not receive direct benefit from these specific word-learning procedures.
What this research studies
You would take part in activities where new words are introduced and children are prompted to retrieve them often during learning. Some activities use an illustrated storybook format to keep kids engaged, and others put new words into sentences from the start. The researchers will compare repeated recall practice to other teaching methods to see which leads to higher learning and longer retention. They will also look at whether these approaches reduce the gap in word learning between children with DLD and typically developing peers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the methods could help preschool children with DLD learn and retain more vocabulary, which can support communication and school readiness.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work, including the team's earlier studies, has shown that repeated retrieval can boost word learning, though adapting this approach to storybooks and sentence-level teaching is newer.
Where this research is happening
-
Purdue University
West Lafayette, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Leonard, Laurence Baker — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Leonard, Laurence Baker
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.