Understanding how infants’ early speech becomes language skills and how it might signal language disorders
Official title: Neural mechanisms underlying the sensitive period for phonetic learning in infants at-risk for Developmental Language Disorder
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11386574 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $334,648 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020419-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386574 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants at risk for developmental language disorder and typically developing infants, with follow-up into early childhood.
✕Less likely to help
Infants not participating in follow-up or those without risk factors may have no direct benefit.
What this research studies
The study follows infants to understand how their brains process speech during the 6–12 month window and how this relates to later language skills and risk for developmental language disorder. It uses neural measurements and behavioral assessments to link early speech processing with outcomes at age 6. The goal is to uncover early markers and inform potential interventions that support typical language development. If successful, findings could guide earlier screening and more targeted support for at-risk children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to earlier identification of children at risk for language disorders and pave the way for targeted early interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows early neural speech processing relates to later language skills, but this project aims to deepen mechanistic understanding in at-risk infants.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Tian Christina — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Tian Christina
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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-
Predicting Developmental Language Delay in Young Children
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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
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A computer-assisted program helps monolingual clinicians teach bilingual Spanish-English vocabulary to emergent bilingual children with developmental language disorder.
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Caregiver actions that support Spanish development in preschool bilingual children at risk for language disorder
This project looks at which everyday caregiver behaviors help Spanish-speaking preschoolers who are emergent bilinguals and may have Developmental Language Disorder keep and grow their home language.
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.