Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective
NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
About This Grant
Contact PD/PI: Kovelman, Ioulia PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT At the onset of English-dominant schooling, bilinguals with developmental language disorders (DLD) generally experience a progressive decline in home language use. Yet, theories posit that a bilingual’s two languages interact in ways that enhance children’s developing language faculty (Hernandez, 2018). To advance new perspectives on neurodevelopmental disorders of cognitive function and inform clinical approaches for linguistically-diverse learners, we seek to understand language development in bilingual children with DLD. Our objective is to uncover how bilingualism impacts language development in children with DLD. Wang et al. (2021) bridge the Interactive Specialization (Johnson, 2011) and Dual Stream (Poeppel, 2012) frameworks to conceptualize language development as an interaction between neurocognitive systems competing for language subfunctions. To examine the effects of bilingualism on DLD, we advance this perspective by linking it to the view that bilingual experiences influence extrinsic brain-behavior and intrinsic neural interactions (Hernandez, 2018). We thus hypothesize that added interactivity and competition of two languages will be positively associated with cortical specialization for language function in bilinguals with DLD. To test this hypothesis, we focus on syntactic and semantic competences disproportionately affected in DLD. We use behavioral and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging measures, testing Spanish-English bilinguals ages 7-9 (N=400, 60 with DLD), in two languages. Sentence judgment and narrative comprehension tasks are used to uncover cortical specificity along the dorsal and ventral language neurocircuits. Aim 1 is to determine language-specific effects of bilingualism on the finetuning of cortical specialization for language function in DLD. Aim 2 is to uncover the global-system effects of bilingualism on cortical specialization for language in DLD. To achieve these aims, we examine the relation between children’s syntactic and semantic competences in each language, the relative balance in dual language experiences, and their interaction with children’s emerging neural architecture for language. This principled approach will provide an empirical basis to (1) uncover mechanisms that support the advancement of English proficiency in bilinguals with DLD; (2) advance theories of DLD through neuro-cognitive evidence on language competences most affected in DLD; (3) inform intervention by illuminating individual differences in the relations between language experiences, proficiency, and brain development. This evidence will reveal mechanisms by which language experiences and proficiency interact with DLD, providing theoretically rich and clinically significant information. Project Summary/Abstract Page 6
Grant Summary
Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective is a NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant providing up to $539K for university, nonprofit, healthcare org. Applications are due 2028-06-30 (open). Check eligibility and apply with FindGrants.
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Up to $539K
2028-06-30
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Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective?
Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective is offered by NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and is generally open to university, nonprofit, healthcare org. It is open to organizations nationwide unless the funder specifies otherwise. Review the specific eligibility terms before applying, since funders set their own requirements around organization type, location, and the population or project being served.
How much funding does the Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective provide?
Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective provides up to $539K per award from NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Actual award sizes depend on the scope of your project, available program funds, and the number of applicants, so build a budget that reflects realistic, allowable costs rather than the maximum figure.
When is the Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective deadline?
Applications for Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective are due 2028-06-30 (open). Because deadlines can change, verify the date with the funder, NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and give yourself enough time to prepare a complete, competitive application before the close date.
How do you apply for the Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective?
To apply for Bilingual Children with DLD: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective, confirm your eligibility, gather the required documents, and prepare a narrative and budget that address the funder's priorities. FindGrants guides you step by step and can draft each section, then exports a submission-ready application pack for this grant from NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.