RESEARCH

Email us if you are interested in participating! llclab@missouri.edu

Help us understand language in the brain!

Have you experienced speech, language, or reading challenges at any point in time (e.g., learning disability)? Do you find yourself having trouble keeping up in conversation or spoken lectures? Or do you read the same thing over and over and have trouble understanding what you read?

Dr. Larson from the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Mizzou is doing research on language in the brain. We are enrolling adults ages 18-40 with a history of speech, language, or reading difficulty OR adults ages 18-40 with no speech-language or reading concerns.

What’s involved? You’ll spend a few hours doing tasks involving language and problem-solving over Zoom, and you’ll receive a brain scan using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on the University of Missouri campus (1416 Carrie Francke Drive), lasting a total of 2-6 hours of your time.

You will be compensated up to $100 or via extra credit, and we can provide a formal report describing language and cognitive assessment performance.

Language and the Brain Study

This study aims to identify individuals who have developmental language disorder (DLD) and characterize their brain function. DLD is a high-prevalence neurodevelopmental condition associated with difficulties using and understanding language. There is a need to improve our understanding and clinical care of DLD because it is under-diagnosed, under-treated, and under-researched; all of which impacts the long-term wellbeing of those with this condition.

Language difficulties have been identified in DLD based on behavior, yet there is little evidence on neural function that underlies language behavior in DLD. Neurodevelopmental conditions like DLD, autism, and dyslexia are increasingly viewed as having unique functional neural networks, thus understanding the neural basis of DLD is critical for theoretical and precision-based clinical models of this disorder. This research will characterize language-related neural function via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in DLD and link this neural function to language behavior. The long-term goals are to identify a neuro-behavioral basis of this condition and improve precision-based clinical care, as well as long-term outcomes for those experiencing DLD.

Shape Project (ERC Synergy Grant) -
Bidirectional associations between language and visual cognition in autism and DLD

This work addresses a gap in research on the bi-directional effects of language on thought and thought on language, and the developmental pathways that transmit interactions between language and cognition from one generation to the next. Children on atypical developmental trajectories show a cascade of disrupted development in both cognition and language that can have substantial life-long consequences. The main goal of the this large-scale study is to provide an integrated account of language and cognition, aligning methodologies across vision research, cognitive development, theory of language and language typology and sign language.

This study represents collaborative, cross-linguistic work with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Mila Vulchanova), Indiana University (Linda Smith), the University of East Anglia (Larissa Samuelson), Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS; Frank Seifart), and Universität zu Köln (Pamela Perniss).

In the news! Researcher exploring shape’s role in language cognition, development

Language and Long-term Wellbeing

The role of language skills in the long-term wellbeing of individuals with developmental language disorder (DLD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not well understood. This work will address this gap by testing how language associated with long-term social-emotional, educational, and vocational outcomes in individuals with DLD and ASD relative to neurotypical (NT) peers.

Linguistic diversity in autistic individuals

This body of work tests the clinical utility and sensitivity of strategic scoring for identifying language impairment in autistic adolescents and adults across dialects of English. It also examines the role of self-determination and social determinants of health in life outcomes of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) autistic adolescent and young adults who have co-occurring structural language impairment. This work characterizes the transition to adulthood in BIPOC autistic individuals and tests theoretical models in real-world settings.

This area of research represents collaborative work with Teresa Girolamo (San Diego State University), Samantha Ghali (University of Kansas), and others.

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