Understanding how children with language disorders learn
Official title: Examining the impaired learning mechanism in children with developmental language disorder
Funded at Mgh Institute of Health Professions · NIH-10867443 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how children with developmental language disorder (DLD) learn to speak and aims to find better ways to help them improve their language skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mgh Institute of Health Professions NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlestown, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $364,264 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC018295-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10867443 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are children aged 0-11 years who have been diagnosed with developmental language disorder.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have developmental language disorder or those with language impairments due to other neurological conditions may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the learning mechanisms in children with developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that affects their ability to develop spoken language. The study aims to identify the underlying causes of these learning difficulties, focusing on how children with DLD manage language learning. By exploring the effectiveness of explicit learning strategies, the research seeks to develop better treatment approaches that can enhance language acquisition in affected children. The project will utilize various methodologies, including assessments of language processing and learning strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective interventions that improve language learning outcomes for children with developmental language disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in understanding language learning mechanisms in similar populations, suggesting that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Mgh Institute of Health Professions
Charlestown, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Arbel, Yael — Mgh Institute of Health Professions
- Study coordinator: Arbel, Yael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.