Understanding Language Development in Adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder
Official title: Language outcomes, mechanisms, and trajectories in adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder
Funded at University of Iowa · NIH-11163373 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how language skills develop and change over time in adults who have Developmental Language Disorder and those who do not.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Iowa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Iowa City, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $571,720 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020143-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163373 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this work would be adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder who are interested in contributing to research on language development.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not adults or do not have an interest in language development research may not directly benefit from this particular study.
What this research studies
We want to learn more about how Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) affects adults, as it can impact education, employment, and overall well-being. Our goal is to understand the long-term language abilities of adults with DLD and identify the specific thinking processes that influence these skills. We will explore how people process language, especially when there are competing word meanings, to better understand the underlying causes of DLD. This will help us explain why language abilities vary among individuals and contribute to better support for adults with DLD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a better understanding of Developmental Language Disorder in adults, potentially informing future strategies to improve language support and overall well-being.
How similar studies have gone: While DLD in adulthood is under-researched, the fundamental components of language processing and competition have been well-documented in typical adults.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Iowa
Iowa City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hendrickson, Kristi — University of Iowa
- Study coordinator: Hendrickson, Kristi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
-
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.