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Developing Open-Science Tools to Assess Adult Language Proficiency and Identify DLD: A Community Engaged Approach

Award Number: R01DC023377
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/10/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2031

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Developing Open-Science Tools to Assess Adult Language Proficiency and Identify DLD: A Community Engaged Approach - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Our proposed research aims to further our understanding of language development and its predictors by developing efficient and effective assessment tools of adult language proficiency in early and middle adulthood. Although tools exist to assess language in children and to track language decline in older adults, options for assessing and monitoring language development in adulthood are limited. Thus, we propose to develop a fully remote and automated tool for assessing adult language proficiency and identifying individuals with developmental language disorder (DLD). Our proposal addresses two significant gaps in current language research, with the overarching goal of improving our understanding of language development across the lifespan and ability spectrum. (1) There are limited research and clinical tools for measuring language development and individual differences and identifying DLD in adulthood. (2) Traditional language assessments are costly, time- intensive, and create accessibility barriers. By developing fully remote and automated tools, we can reduce costs and ensure accessibility regardless of geographical location. To achieve our goals, we will collaborate with multiple community groups and leverage the Iowa Longitudinal Study, a 30-year project that includes individuals with and without DLD. Our results will accelerate our understanding of language development by enabling large- scale studies on the genetics of language, individual differences, and associations between language and health. We propose to develop a fully remote and automated tool for assessing adult language proficiency, leveraging our expertise in language measurement, communication disorders, and artificial intelligence. Throughout our proposed work, we will collaborate with three relevant community groups: academic researchers, clinical professionals, and adults with DLD. In SA 1, we will develop guidelines for a comprehensive assessment battery for characterizing adult language proficiency and identifying DLD in adulthood via community consensus. Using the Delphi method, which involves iterative rounds of expert opinions to reach consensus, we will engage multiple community groups to establish a consensus-driven, evidence-based comprehensive language battery that assesses adult language proficiency and provides a standardized protocol for identifying DLD. In SA 2, we will administer the comprehensive battery to participants in the Iowa Longitudinal Study and apply an automated test algorithm to determine the most efficient and effective subset of the comprehensive battery. SA 2 will yield an in-person behavioral screener and a self-report questionnaire screener for DLD. In SA 3, we will lower the administration costs of language assessment by developing a fully remote and automated screener for DLD by adapting non-remote tasks to remote versions, integrating all tasks into a single platform, developing automatic scoring pipelines, and making the tool available through open science practices. Ultimately, this work aims to fill critical gaps in language assessment and improve research and clinical practice related to language development across the lifespan and ability spectrum.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $612,731 )
2026	2026	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	14100 CRAWFORD ST	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	9/11/2026	NEW	$612,731
														Subtotal = $612,731

Grand Total All Awards = $612,731

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Developing Open-Science Tools to Assess Adult Language Proficiency and Identify DLD: A Community Engaged Approach

Award Number: R01DC023377

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/10/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2031

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