Spanish-English Bilingual Project
Proyecto Bilingüe Español-Inglés
Working towards better service for Spanish-English speakers with brain injury
In the U.S., the number of people who speak two languages has doubled since 1980, with Spanish-English bilingual speakers being the largest group. Our goal is to improve services for Spanish-English speaking adults who need to see a Speech-Language Pathologist due to brain injury. We are developing language assessments to more accurately diagnose conditions such as aphasia and dementia. We aim to improve access to speech-language therapy services for bilingual speakers and reduce health disparities with our research.
You can help - we're recruiting people with and without brain injury
If you are a person who fluently speaks English and Spanish, you can help us meet our goal. For bilingual Spanish-English speakers:
Participation takes about 5 hours. It is scheduled at your convenience and administered over a computer.
You will receive $100 at the completion of the study.
You need to be 50-70 years old to participate.
Please contact us for a 30-minute phone screen to see if you are eligible by going to the "Book an Appointment" section below.
If English is the only language that you speak, you can still help our project! For monolingual English speakers:
Participation takes about 2 hours. It is scheduled at your convenience and administered over a computer.
You will receive $50 at the completion of the study.
You need to be 30-70 years old to participate.
Please contact us for a 15-minute phone screen to see if you are eligible by going to the "Book an Appointment" section below.
If you have aphasia, we would love to work with you too! For speakers with aphasia:
You must have been proficient in Spanish and English before your aphasia diagnosis (it is okay if you are no longer proficient in both languages).
Participation takes about 6 hours. It is scheduled at your convenience and administered over a computer.
You will receive $100 at the completion of the study.
You can be any age to participate.
Please contact us for a 30-minute phone screen to see if you are eligible by going to the "Book an Appointment" section below.
What Is Aphasia? Why Are We Conducting This Research?
Most people have never heard the term aphasia, but chances are you know of someone with it. Aphasia is any form of speech or language difficulty due to brain injury. The majority of people with aphasia have developed it following a stroke. Aphasia can affect your ability to produce speech, understand speech, repeat after others, and execute other aspects of speech and language. It can affect your ability to remember words, produce grammatical sentences, and understand complex utterances.
Our study is working to develop better assessments for diagnosing aphasia in Spanish-English bilinguals. Unfortunately, current assessments were developed with only monolingual speakers in mind. Without accurate assessments that are specially designed for bilinguals, speech-language pathologists use assessments designed for monolingual speakers. As a result, bilingual speakers risk being misdiagnosed and not receiving therapy services.
Why Participate?
Help us develop more equitable language assessments for Spanish-English speakers who experience brain injury.
Help us more accurately diagnose aphasia and dementia in Spanish-English speakers.
Help us reduce healthcare disparities for Spanish-English bilingual speakers.
Contribute important information on how fluent bilingual Spanish-English speakers use their languages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my information safe? Will my participation be confidential?
All of your personal information is securely stored according to research guidelines at the University of Maryland. Any identifying information that is gathered will be de-identified (your name replaced by a code) and stored in password protected locations. We do not share your name or contact information with others unless required by law.
Do I need to meet in person?
No, if you have access to a computer, the internet, and a quiet space, we can test you online. You may also meet us at a public location such as a library for participation. If you prefer an in-person visit to our research facility, we can discuss options with you.
How long is the study? Will I be paid?
We will first speak with you on the phone to determine eligibility (~30-35 minutes). If you are not eligible for the study, there will be no payment involved. Eligible participants will complete about 5 hours of testing spread over multiple sessions. You will be paid $100 at the completion of your participation.
Can I tell my friends and family?
Yes, we welcome your assistance in informing others about this study. Please ask us for brochures. If you have their permission, you can provide us with the contact information of others who might wish to participate.
Book an Appointment
Select a 30 minute slot for the initial phone call for eligibility (this part is not paid).
If you have already had your initial phone call, please select a 2-hour slot for the first testing appointment.
This project is funded by the National Institutes of Health grant R21DC018916A to Dr. Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah at the University of Maryland's Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. This project is approved by University of Maryland's Institutional Review Board, #1726372
