The Applied Psycholinguistics Lab (APL) brings together brings together faculty and students interested developmental science and the linguistic and psycholinguistic bases of language acquisition. We study the development of vocabulary and grammar in children developing language typically and those at-risk for specific language impairment (SLI), developmental language disorder (DLD), and other neurodevelopmental disorders. We also study how characteristics of parent-child interaction and properties of parent language input support children’s language development.
Research in the APL Has Three Overarching Goals:
- To identify patterns of grammatical development that differentiate preschoolers at-risk for SLI and DLD from children developing language typically.
- To develop new measures for assessing grammar in children under age 3.
- To identify predictors of grammatical growth that can be used to design more effective and efficient family-centered and preschool language interventions.
Location and Facilities
We are housed in the Speech and Hearing Science Building at 901 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Established in 2007, research activities have been supported by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Lab resources include a 400 sq. ft. sound-treated family-friendly playroom, a remote observation room with video- and audio-recording capabilities, and additional space for transcription and analysis of naturalistic parent-child interaction.