Sex Differences in Language Impairment and Service Use
Official title: Sex Differences in Language Impairment, Disability, and Service Receipt
Funded at Father Flanagan's Boys' Home · NIH-11406024 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant looks at why girls with language problems are less likely to get language services than boys, and how gender affects needs and service experiences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Father Flanagan's Boys' Home NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boys Town, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $479,599 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021428-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406024 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) or language impairment, including both girls and boys, and school-aged children requiring language services.
✕Less likely to help
If a child does not have language impairment or a diagnosed need for language services, they are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
If funded, researchers will analyze records from over 1.6 million children to see how language disability and gender influence the likelihood and type of services received. The project will also study how language difficulties relate to temperament in 132 girls and boys with DLD, and whether sex changes this relationship. The work aims to uncover if girls may be underserved due to later or different services, masking, or differing expectations, and to identify factors that drive these patterns. Findings could inform schools and clinicians on how to close gaps in language-service delivery for children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of gender gaps in language services could lead to earlier, more equitable support for girls with language difficulties.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown sex differences in service receipt, but this project aims to clarify mechanisms and patterns in a large, diverse population.
Where this research is happening
-
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Boys Town, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcgregor, Karla — Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
- Study coordinator: Mcgregor, Karla
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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.