# Differentiating First Language Loss from Language Impairment in Bilingual Children

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $172,635

## Abstract

Abstract
This research proposal seeks to advance our current knowledge on the identification of language impairments
in bilingual children by examining the differences in patterns of language growth and cognitive/processing
skills between bilingual children experiencing first language loss and those with language disorders using
retrospective and prospective longitudinal approaches. Hispanic children are disproportionally
underrepresented in special education programs and are less likely than other children to be identified as
having speech and language impairments. This disproportionality might be due to the difficulty experienced by
speech-language pathologists in identifying whether variations in language performance constitute a language
disorder or a characteristic of typical bilingual learning. The main challenge in identifying language
impairments in Spanish-speaking children lies in our limited understanding of their language growth patterns
since most of these children experience a drastic shift in primary language exposure and use from Spanish
(home language) to English (school language). This shift in language exposure often results in a temporary
period of time in which their Spanish skills are no longer developing and their English skills are not fully
developed yet, due to limitations in input rather than learning capabilities. This poses a critical problem for the
accurate identification of language disorders in this population because both typically developing bilingual
children experiencing first language loss (i.e., a decline in their first language skills due to limitations in input)
and bilingual children with language disorders show low grammatical skills in both languages. It is imperative
to examine the differences between these two groups of children so that early and accurate identification is
possible. The PI has a strong background in language development and assessment in bilingual children, but
lacks the necessary methodological skill set to conduct prospective and retrospective longitudinal studies, and
the background knowledge to fully understand the role of cognitive/processing skills in language acquisition.
The proposed training plan has the following learning objectives: 1. Design and execute retrospective studies
to differentiate patterns of language growth between children experiencing first language loss and bilingual
children with language impairments using existent longitudinal databases (Mentor: Francis); 2. Develop a
strong understanding of cognitive/processing mechanisms and their role in language acquisition (Mentor:
Hernandez); 3. Design and execute an innovative prospective study to differentiate patterns of language
growth and cognitive/processing skills between children experiencing first language loss and bilingual children
with language impairments using clinical samples (mentors: Francis and Lesaux); and, 4. Transition to
scientific independence (Mentors: Fletcher and Francis). This study will im...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10053232
- **Project number:** 5K23DC015835-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Anny P. Castilla-Earls
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $172,635
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-12-06 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10053232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10053232, Differentiating First Language Loss from Language Impairment in Bilingual Children (5K23DC015835-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10053232. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*