Study will follow thousands of young children during a critical window for language development
HOUSTON, March 12 – University of Houston researchers have secured an $11.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a first-of-its-kind study of early language development, tracking thousands of Houston toddlers during a critical period of early childhood.
Led by Elena Grigorenko, the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and research professor Jack Fletcher, the project will follow 3,600 children ages 18 to 24 months to better understand how language skills emerge during this early stage and why some children experience delays that can shape later development.
The NIH funding will support a new national Clinical Research Center on Developmental Language Disorders at UH, bringing together experts from psychology, education, health and measurement sciences to study one of the most fundamental questions in human development: how children learn language. This will be the 14th national research center established at UH.
How the Study Will Work
To recruit participants, the research team will partner with the pediatric clinic network at Texas Children’s Hospital, one of the largest in the region. Children will be screened for early language development, allowing researchers to identify those who show signs of delayed speech.
From that group, the team will follow a cohort of about 2,400 children — including both late talkers and children with typical language development — through early childhood to examine how language abilities evolve over time and how early delays may lead to later challenges.
“This will be the first national study to estimate how common late talking is using a large, representative sample of Houston toddlers,” Grigorenko said. “By following these children as they grow, we hope to better understand the developmental pathways that can lead to conditions such as developmental language disorder and autism.”
The Houston Community as a Partner in Discovery
Houston’s linguistic and cultural diversity makes it an ideal setting for this work. The study will include children from a wide range of backgrounds who speak English, Spanish or both, enabling researchers to examine how early communication develops across different home environments and socioeconomic contexts.
“This level of investment from the National Institutes of Health reflects the significance of this work to address a complex challenge affecting children, families and communities,” said Claudia Neuhauser, vice president for research at UH. “By bringing together experts from multiple disciplines and partnering with major health systems across the region, the project reflects our commitment to advancing discoveries that impact our community.”
This research center brings together investigators from multiple UH colleges and departments, along with partners at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Center for Learning Disorders. The work also aligns closely with the mission of the Consortium for Translational and Precision Health — a partnership led by Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston to accelerate the translation of research into practical health solutions.
“By studying early language development in Houston toddlers, we’re building the knowledge needed to identify developmental challenges sooner and support children at the earliest possible stages,” Grigorenko said.
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