Tracking language growth for people who use picture-based communication devices
Official title: Measuring Aided Language Development
Funded at University of Central Florida · NIH-11301927 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing reliable tools to measure how children and adults who use picture symbols and communication devices learn and use language.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Central Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orlando, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $602,421 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021160-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301927 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adults who use picture-based AAC systems or speech-generating devices, including individuals with cerebral palsy or other communication disorders, would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who communicate only with natural spoken language or whose conditions do not affect aided communication are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would help create and test language measures designed specifically for people who use picture symbols or AAC devices, rather than relying on spoken-language tests. Researchers will collect samples of aided communication from children and adults, score and analyze those productions, and refine items to make sure they truly reflect language ability. They will compare new measures with existing approaches to confirm accuracy and fairness across ages and diagnoses. The goal is to produce validated tools clinicians can use to diagnose needs and track progress over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinicians and families would have accurate, trusted tools to track communication progress and guide therapy for people who use AAC.
How similar studies have gone: Many validated measures exist for spoken language, but validated, psychometrically sound measures tailored to aided communicators are largely absent, so this work is novel and fills a clear gap.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Central Florida
Orlando, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kent-Walsh, Jennifer — University of Central Florida
- Study coordinator: Kent-Walsh, Jennifer
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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.