How Language Develops, What Goes Wrong, And Why It Matters: Following The Early Language In Victoria Study To Age 13
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$857,242.00
Summary
One in five children start school with low language. Little is known about the long term effects on developmental, educational attainment and other outcomes later in life. In this landmark study we will track the children's language, literacy and wellbeing from ages 8 to 12 years. We will capture the children's ability as they finish their primary school education and prior to the crucial transfer to high school.
Brain Dynamics And Sensorimotor Integration Associated With Speech Production In Humans Who Stutter
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$304,383.00
Summary
Stuttering is a chronic communication disorder that arises from problems in the brain processes that control speech. This research will use a new and extremely fast method of brain imaging to study the parts of the human brain that underlie speech production. We will identify brain problems that contribute to stuttering at the time when stuttering first begins. Identification of brain problems is likely to significantly improve the efficacy of stuttering treatment.
The Contribution Of Home Language Exposure To Intergenerational Transmission Of Inequality
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,281,706.00
Summary
The amount of language stimulation from parent to child could be the key driver behind intergenerational inequality. Children learn language through social interaction and this study will significantly enhance our current understanding of exposure to language in the child's home environment. The study will demonstrate how inequalities in the early years have far reaching consequences for later health and development.
The Gudaga Study is a unique study of Aboriginal children in an urban environment on the eastern seaboard of Australia. Children were recruited at birth and have been followed up at 6-monthly intervals to age 5 years. This research aims to describe the health, early learning and service context of these urban Aboriginal children from 5 to 9 years. Detailed longitudinal data on Aboriginal children's early life experiences have not previously been collected in an urban setting.
Neural Mechanisms Of Language Facilitation In Aphasia Due To Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$523,192.00
Summary
This project will assess the underlying neural mechanisms by which neurostimulation improves impaired language functions after stroke (aphasia). This will be accomplished by using a novel combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and simultaneous transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) administered to different brain regions. These studies will provide crucial information necessary to optimise future clinical trials that combine tDCS with language therapy.
Aphasia is a devastating language and communication disorder that occurs in up to 40% of all stroke patients and often results in lifelong disability. This project will determine whether individuals who listen to music daily in addition to receiving usual care, show a better recovery of language than those who only receive usual care. The effect of music listening on cognition, depression, and brain structure and function will be investigated to identify how music stimulates language recovery.
Up to 40% of stroke survivors have aphasia (disturbance or loss of language) and of these, 60% will still be aphasic 12 months post-onset. Up until now, it has not been possible to predict aphasia recovery or response to treatment. This research will use clinical measures and brain imaging to develop better predictors of aphasia recovery.
Predicting Language Skills From Early Auditory Speech Discrimination In Infants With Hearing Loss: Implications For Early Management And Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$706,113.00
Summary
Now that newborn hearing checks are available, hearing loss can be picked up soon after birth and hearing aids are fitted shortly after. Although procedures exist for checking that the devices make sounds audible, there is no way to evaluate their effectiveness for supporting a child’s auditory discrimination. This study aims to 1) develop new clinical tools for assessing infants’ auditory discrimination, and 2) determine whether early discrimination predicts spoken language at 3 years of age.
Examining The Impact Of Language Reclamation On Social And Emotional Well Being Among The Barngarla
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,111,633.00
Summary
Indigenous Australians are at high risk of experiencing mental illness. For many, it is the loss of land, culture, and identity that are causes of ill health. The Barngarla people of South Australia seek to reclaim their language due to its potential reinvigorating cultural identity and wellbeing. This offers a unique opportunity to document the links between language reclamation and wellness in Aboriginal people for the first time.
Characterisation Of Eurl, A Novel Gene Implicated In The Etiology Of Abnormal Brain Development And Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,541.00
Summary
Intellectual disability affects around one per cent of Australians, and can arise from genetic abnormalities during fetal life, such as through abnormal regulation of gene expression. We have identified a novel gene, known as eurl, which controls brain assembly as well as the ability of neurons to form functional connections within the brain. We will investigate how this novel gene controls brain development, and characterise eurl as a potential therapeutic target for learning and memory.