Student’s research on child language earns grant

LAWRENCE – The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation has recognized the work of a University of Kansas doctoral student with a research grant.

Caitlin Imgrund, in KU’s Department of Speech-Language-Hearing, received a $2,000 Student Research Grant in Early Childhood Language Development from the organization. She was recognized at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in Denver last fall.

Imgrund’s research focuses on the language development of children born pre-term. Although medical advances over the past several decades have resulted in increased survival rates for children born pre-term, these children remain at a heightened risk for adverse developmental outcomes, including poor language outcomes.

The Student Research Grant in Early Childhood Language Development supports a doctoral student in conducting research in the area of child language, made possible by the Arlene Matkin Memorial Fund. The grant will help fund Imgrund’s dissertation work, which seeks to better understand the vocabulary and grammatical skills of children born pre-term. She hopes that her research will lead to better identification of children born pre-term who would benefit the most from early intervention efforts.

“Children born pre-term face many challenges starting the day they are born. Seeing these children and their families face these challenges head on is inspiring. I hope that my research benefits these wonderful children and their families,” Imgrund said.    

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation is a charitable organization that promotes a better quality of life for children and adults with communication disorders. The foundation is affiliated with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is part of the association’s annual convention ─ the most comprehensive development conference for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language and hearing scientists.

The Department of Speech-Language-Hearing is part of KU’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The College is KU’s broadest, most diverse school with more than 50 departments, programs and centers.