# Measuring Language Comprehension Development in the Primary Grades

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2024 · $643,301

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder with significant
impacts on many aspects of life functioning including literacy, educational attainment, and employment
opportunities. Unfortunately, most children with DLD are not identified and do not receive services to improve
their outcomes. The long-term goal of this project is to improve the identification of DLD and to contribute to
improved systems of support for language and literacy development for all children. We will characterize the
developmental trajectory of language comprehension in the primary grades using novel, group-administered
measures focusing on skills which (a) undergo significant development in the primary grades, (b) appear
frequently in academic settings, (c) are important for reading comprehension, and (d) are appropriate for use
with students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The use of group-administered measures
promotes feasibility and allows for practical implementation in real-world classrooms. Items measuring syntax,
vocabulary, and derivation of novel word meanings will be developed and calibrated to create an across-grade
vertical scale of measurement for language performance. Developmental change in language comprehension
will be evaluated with three administrations of language comprehension measures per year in grades K and 1
(e.g., Fall, Winter, Spring) and one administration in grade 2. We will evaluate the clinical and educational
validity of the novel language comprehension measures by conducting an accelerated cohort design study
spanning grades K through 3 and relating them to standardized measures of language and reading abilities
that will be administered once in each grade. Clinical utility will be examined using (a) traditional binary
classification analyses of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios, and (b) with cutting-edge continuous
measurement models. The latter models will estimate individual change along a continuum, allowing us to
evaluate student trends over time rather than simplistic pass-fail criteria, which may be arbitrary and
inconsistent. This information will help clinicians identify when children may appear to be achieving adequately
but at risk of approaching a clinical threshold, as well as when children receiving language supports are rising
back up toward a level of performance more typical of their peers or level of instruction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10885207
- **Project number:** 5R01DC021177-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Suzanne M. Adlof
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $643,301
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-10 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10885207

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10885207, Measuring Language Comprehension Development in the Primary Grades (5R01DC021177-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10885207. Licensed CC0.

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