Investigating how bilingual toddlers learn words
Official title: Talking Late in Two Languages
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11075779 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how Spanish-English toddlers who are a bit slow to talk learn new words, and it wants to find out how different amounts of exposure to both languages can help them connect words with their meanings, so we can better support their language development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $430,690 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020447-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11075779 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are Spanish-English bilingual toddlers aged 2 to 4 years who are experiencing delays in their speech development.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not bilingual or those who do not have language delays may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on understanding how bilingual children, specifically Spanish-English toddlers who are late to talk, learn vocabulary. It aims to explore the impact of distributed exposure to two languages on their word-learning abilities. By using a unique experimental approach, the study will manipulate exposure parameters to see how they affect the children's ability to connect words with their meanings. The goal is to provide insights that could help improve language development strategies for bilingual children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could enhance vocabulary learning strategies for bilingual children, leading to better language outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promising results in understanding language acquisition in bilingual children, but this specific experimental approach is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kaushanskaya, Margarita — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Kaushanskaya, Margarita
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
BRAVE Innovation Center for Viral Resistance in Chickens
A center at UW–Madison aims to create chickens genetically resistant to avian viruses like H5N1 by identifying host genes involved in virus replication using genome-wide CRISPR screening.
-
Center to Fight Vector-Borne Diseases in the Midwest
A Midwest program brings researchers, public health teams, and vector-control groups together to prevent diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes.
-
Globally useful predictor for cervical cancer treatment response
This project aims to develop a simple predictive signature to personalize treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer using easy tests and imaging.
-
Neutrophil development with stem cells to understand their behavior
Researchers are studying how neutrophils, a type of immune cell, develop from stem cells to better understand why they can help or harm in infections and inflammatory diseases.
-
WREN: Expanding Research Capacity in Rural Primary Care Clinics
A nationwide network in Wisconsin will strengthen rural primary care clinics to participate in real-world research and bring more clinical trials to communities.
-
Targeting early oral GVHD to improve mouth health after stem cell transplant
A study at UW–Madison will explore why some transplant patients develop painful oral GVHD and test ideas to prevent and lessen mouth-related problems.
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.