About the Project
Early language impairment is a major public health concern affecting as many as 10% of young children and disproportionately affecting those in lower income households. Small Talk is a five-year study funded through the National Institute of Health (NIH) that aims to study language development in children from low-income households, in order to identify risk factors for delayed language trajectories in vulnerable populations. Specifically, our team of researchers is examining the biological and social factors that lead to language impairment in this population. The longitudinal study works with mothers who are considered low-income and whose children range from six months through five years of age.
Meet the Project Staff
Laura Justice, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Justice’s research primarily focuses on young children who exhibit developmental vulnerabilities in language and literacy acquisition, and much of her research considers the effects of teacher or parent implemented interventions on children’s learning.
Read more about Laura here.
Kammi Schmeer, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Schmeer is a sociologist and demographer focused on understanding the social determinants of health and nutrition and how household poverty and family contexts are associated with child and adult health.
Read more about Kammi here.
Kelly Purtell, PhD
Co-Investigator
Dr. Purtell’s research centers on understanding how contextual factors shape the health and development of children and adolescents who are living in low-income households.
Read more about Kelly here.
Hui Jiang, PhD
Co-Investigator
Dr. Jiang’s research focuses on quantitative methodology, and she is particularly interested in the connecting new statistical techniques with data-driven practice to advance the field of education.
Read more about Hui here.
Britt Singletary, PhD
Project Director
Dr. Singletary is a Biological Anthropologist interested in the evolutionary interplay between uniquely human traits like cooperative child-rearing, complex cognition, and language. Her research involves developing an understanding of how variability in early caregiving environments may create a signal-rich environment that enhances child learning.
Read more about Britt here.
Luanda Cunningham
Lead Research Associate
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Research Assistants
Adam Friend
Elsa Alvarado
Kate Pavilonis
Carter Asnien
Resources
View our newsletters below, which provide regular updates on the Small Talk project.