Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Addressing screening gaps to improve identification of late talking in dual language learners

Award Number: R01DC024086
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: 09/11/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Addressing screening gaps to improve identification of late talking in dual language learners - PROJECT SUMMARY Approximately 10-20% of toddlers are “late talkers,” broadly defined as not reaching expressive language milestones by ~24 months. Over- and under-identification of late talkers is common among Spanish-dominant dual language learners (DLLs), the largest DLL group in the U.S.. Because early language development predicts later language, cognitive, and academic outcomes, equipping pediatric providers with accurate, culturally and linguistically responsive tools for identifying true late talkers in DLLs is a public health priority to ensure timely access to early intervention services. Yet, addressing this priority is challenging for at least three reasons. First, widely used parent-report universal screeners apply monolingual cutoffs that do not account for early language milestones distributed across two languages. Second, these tools depend on how parents interpret items; differences in parent education and acculturation can influence item response on Spanish-translated screeners, reducing their accuracy. Third, according to the Systems Framework of Bilingual Language Acquisition, DLL language development involves dynamic interactions among child-level (e.g., behavioral regulation) and parent- level factors (e.g., responsivity, depressive symptoms), the quantity/quality of input in each language, as well as available community supports/resources—factors that current pediatric developmental screening protocols do not fully capture. Although a significant portion of DLL families have lower socioeconomic status (SES)—a strong predictor of language development—many children develop language on time. Yet, there is limited longitudinal evidence investigating which risk and protective factors most strongly mediate or modify the association between SES and language outcome in Spanish-dominant DLL toddlers. Guided by a community-engaged research approach, the goal of this study is to address these three gaps by enrolling and prospectively following Spanish- dominant DLLs and their primary caregivers when they are 9-, 12-, 18-, and 24-months of age (N = 350) to accomplish three aims. Aim 1: Evaluate the psychometric properties of a widely used Level 1 screener for identifying late-talker risk among DLL infants and toddlers. Aim 2: Refine and test a novel two-step screening protocol that adds a remote Level 2 screener to improve the identification of late-talker risk in DLLs. Aim 3: Determine which risk and protective factors at 12 and 18 months best explain (mediate) and change the strength of (moderate) the link between 9‑month family SES and 24‑month language outcome. Findings from this work will lay the groundwork for earlier and more accurate identification of late talkers in Spanish-dominant DLLs by advancing screening and actionable guidelines for primary care providers, thereby paving the way for earlier access to developmentally transformative early language intervention.


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 = $2,044,144 )
2026	2026	HUGO W. MOSER RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT KENNEDY KRIEGER, INC.	707 N BROADWAY	BALTIMORE	MD	21205	BALTIMORE CITY	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	9/14/2026	NEW	$2,044,144
														Subtotal = $2,044,144

Grand Total All Awards = $2,044,144

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Addressing screening gaps to improve identification of late talking in dual language learners

Award Number: R01DC024086

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: 09/11/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer