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DLS supports fundamental research that increases our understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, and biological processes related to children's and adolescents' development and learning.  Research supported by this program will add to our basic knowledge of how people learn and the underlying developmental processes that support learning, with the objective of leading to better educated children and adolescents who grow up to take productive roles as workers and as citizens. Among the many research topics supported by DLS are: developmental cognitive neuroscience; development of higher-order cognitive processes; transfer of knowledge from one domain or situation to another; use of molecular genetics to study continuities and discontinuities in development; development of peer relations and family interactions; multiple influences on development, including the impact of family, school, community, social institutions, and the media; adolescents' preparation for entry into the workforce; cross-cultural research on development and learning; and the role of cultural influences and demographic characteristics on development. Additional priorities include research that: incorporates multidisciplinary, multi-method, microgenetic, and longitudinal approaches; develops new methods, models, and theories for studying learning and development; and integrates different processes (e.g., learning, memory, emotion), levels of analysis (e.g., behavioral, social, neural), and time scales (e.g. infancy, middle childhood, adolescence).

MOD invites all qualified scientists with faculty appointments or the equivalent, at universities, hospitals and research institutions (not for profit or profit), to submit applications for research grants relevant to our mission. This encompasses basic biological processes governing differentiation and development, genetics and genomics of these processes, clinical studies, reproductive health and environmental toxicology, and social and behavioral studies concerning cognitive and behavioral risks that affect outcomes of pregnancy, the perinatal period, and subsequent child development. Applications will be directed to one of three committees whose respective foci are:    * Cell Lineage and Differentiation  * Gene Discovery and Translational Medicine  * Social and Behavioral Sciences. This involves family units and includes genes, toxicants, social  determinants that adversely affect language or behavior, especially if involving premature  infants or children with birth defects.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program supports the success of all children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) in the United States by helping to ensure they receive a newborn screening, early diagnosis, and timely intervention services. Without timely screening, diagnosis and intervention, children who are D/HH lose valuable time in gaining the skills that will put them on a trajectory to have language on par with their hearing peers in kindergarten and be ready to succeed in school. Additionally, among children who are D/HH, delays in language development are more difficult to remediate with late diagnosis and intervention. While collaborative efforts by CDC, states, and other partners have helped lead to the early identification of thousands of children who are D/HH each year, their developmental and language outcomes are often unknown, and these data are not routinely collected by CDC or state EHDI programs. Furthermore, it is currently unclear what actions beyond early identification should be taken by public health to help reduce adverse consequences of hearing loss and ensure that children who are D/HH are ready for success in early childhood. The current lack of public health capacity to document and assess the intervention services and associated outcomes of early-identified children who are D/HH at the state and national level makes it challenging to: Assess the developmental progress to ensure all children who are D/HH are achieving age-appropriate milestones and are ready for success in early childhood; Identify strategies, in addition to those beyond early identification, to help assess and reduce adverse consequences of hearing loss; Assess and document the success and impact of EHDI activities across the United States.

The Linguistics Program supports basic science in the domain of human language, encompassing investigations of the grammatical properties of individual human languages, and of natural language in general. Research areas include syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program encourages projects that are interdisciplinary in methodological or theoretical perspective, and that address questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, such as (but not limited to): What are the psychological processes involved in the production, perception, and comprehension of language? What are the computational properties of language and/or the language processor that make fluent production, incremental comprehension or rapid learning possible? How do the acoustic and physiological properties of speech inform our theories of language and/or language processing? What role does human neurobiology play in shaping the various components of our linguistic capacities? How does language develop in children? What social and cultural factors underlie language variation and change?

In recent years, inequality in the United States has become increasingly pervasive. At the same time, prospects for social mobility have decreased. The William T. Grant Foundation believes the research community can play a critical role in reversing this trend. To that end, the foundation is accepting applications in support of research projects designed to advance understanding in the area of inequalities in youth development and/or increase understanding of how research is acquired, understood, and used, as well as the circumstances that shape its use in decision making. Through its Research program, the foundation will award grants of up to $600,000 in support of research that focuses on ways to reduce disparities in academic, behavioral, social, and economic outcomes for youth. Priority will be given to projects related to inequality related to economic, racial/ethnic, and language background, but research that explores other areas will also be considered based on a compelling case for its impact. To be eligible, organizations must be considered tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 The purpose of this FOA is to support investigator-initiated R01 applications that will inform our understanding of the typical and atypical patterns of language and literacy development of dual language learners (DLLs) in the United States. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of advances in the language sciences and related fields to identify and clarify specific cognitive, linguistic, neurobiological, and sociocultural factors associated with normal and impaired language and literacy acquisition in young DLL populations.