Advancing Screening, Diagnosis, and Referral for Late Talking Children

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) initiative intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit research grant applications to improve the earliest steps in clinical practice for late talking children. The overarching purpose of this funding opportunity is to inform, develop, and evaluate evidence-based practices and implementation strategies to (1) effectively and efficiently identify early signs of late talking and (2) successfully guide parents, caregivers, and professionals in supporting the needs of late talking children at the first point of concern.

For this NOFO late talking is defined as a child, usually over the age of 18 months, not meeting expressive language milestones, for any reason. Populations of interest include, but are not limited to, children at higher risk for late talking due to premature birth, exposure to maltreatment or trauma, neurological conditions, motor and sensory disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, and intellectual and developmental disorders. Children who present as late talkers for no other known reason and with no other symptoms also are of interest for this NOFO.

For this NOFO, the early steps for services for children age birth to three years that are of interest include screening and developmental surveillance of late talking, referral and follow through for specialized services, and in-depth evaluation and diagnosis of language and other contributing delays/disorders. These services typically occur in primary care, specialty care, educational settings, and early childhood community settings. The research will need to be conducted in a relevant setting.

Research focusing on children as well as their parents, caregivers, and supporting community professionals is of interest, including how to support successfully navigating from initial concern to effective care. Community partnerships and community engaged research approaches will be a key requirement for this opportunity.

Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. 

Investigators with expertise and insights into early language learning, late talking, early childhood education, early intervention, and primary care are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in clinical practice research, dissemination and implementation science, or community engaged research will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.