Hope Sparks
@hope-sparks.bsky.social
490 followers 100 following 81 posts
Research scientist | Language and reading | Development and disorders | Genes and environments | ADHD academic
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Reposted by Hope Sparks
naplic.bsky.social
Strategies for reading in secondary.
Reading for enjoyment.
Need to keep motivation for decoding, think of games as well as morphology.
And for those with language needs, focus on language such as narrative and vocabulary.
Reposted by Hope Sparks
naplic.bsky.social
Reading is based on language.
Language predicts letter knowledge and phonological awareness which in turn predict decoding skills. Language is the foundation of phonics.
Language also impacts directly on reading comprehension.
Reposted by Hope Sparks
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
Twenty-four years ago today, our paper “A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder” was published: www.nature.com/articles/350....
A personal thread about the ups & downs of the journey we took to get to that point....1/n
🗣️🧬🧪
Image shows the first two printed pages of the paper “A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder” by Cecilia Lai and colleagues, published in Nature in 2001 (volume 413, pages 519-523). The abstract reads as follows:
Individuals affected with developmental disorders of speech and language have substantial difficulty acquiring expressive and/or receptive language in the absence of any profound sensory or neurological impairment and despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. Although studies of twins consistently indicate that a significant genetic component is involved, most families segregating speech and language deficits show complex patterns of inheritance, and a gene that predisposes individuals to such disorders has not been identified. We have studied a unique three-generation pedigree, KE, in which a severe speech and language disorder is transmitted as an autosomal-dominant monogenic trait. Our previous work mapped the locus responsible, SPCH1, to a 5.6-cM interval of region 7q31 on chromosome 7. We also identified an unrelated individual, CS, in whom speech and language impairment is associated with a chromosomal translocation involving the SPCH1 interval. Here we show that the gene FOXP2, which encodes a putative transcription factor containing a polyglutamine tract and a forkhead DNA-binding domain, is directly disrupted by the translocation breakpoint in CS. In addition, we identify a point mutation in affected members of the KE family that alters an invariant amino-acid residue in the forkhead domain. Our findings suggest that FOXP2 is involved in the developmental process that culminates in speech and language.
Reposted by Hope Sparks
naplic.bsky.social
Professor Maggie Snowling will be presenting on Monday Oct 6th at 4pm at the SLCN specialist teacher network. All about DLD and literacy. Online. One not to be missed.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dldslcn-sp...

Free to members, which starts from £20 per year.
www.naplic.org.uk/membership/

#DevLangDis
Reposted by Hope Sparks
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
Unique opportunity to direct your own innovative long-term research programme on the psychology of language at @mpi-nl.bsky.social, a leading interdisciplinary Max Planck Institute in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Nominate yourself or a colleague by 19 December 2025. Please help us spread the word. 👇🧪
mpi-nl.bsky.social
We're seeking the next Director of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics! Lead cutting-edge research in language & cognition. Nominations (incl. self) due 19 Dec 2025.
mpi.nl/career-education/vacancies/vacancy/nominations-and-self-nominations-sought-position-director-max
Reposted by Hope Sparks
mpi-nl.bsky.social
We're seeking the next Director of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics! Lead cutting-edge research in language & cognition. Nominations (incl. self) due 19 Dec 2025.
mpi.nl/career-education/vacancies/vacancy/nominations-and-self-nominations-sought-position-director-max
Reposted by Hope Sparks
tmcentanni.bsky.social
Postdoc opening!!

We’re looking for a postdoc to support our DoD funded study, using noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation and EEG to study speech in noise perception in veterans with TBI.

Please share and reach out to start the conversation if interested!

bit.ly/478e3ME
GAPPLab_PostDoc_opening
Classification Title: Postdoctoral Associate Job Description: The Genetics of Auditory and visual Perception and Plasticity (GAPP Lab) Lab in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences...
bit.ly
Reposted by Hope Sparks
Reposted by Hope Sparks
cghlewis.bsky.social
RDM Weekly Issue 14 is out! 📬

After attending posit::conf last week, I decided to highlight some recent and past data management related talks from the conference. #rstats

- AI Coding Assistants
- Spreadsheet formatting
- Creating R Data Packages
and more!

rdmweekly.substack.com/p/rdm-weekly...
RDM Weekly - Issue 014
A weekly roundup of Research Data Management resources.
rdmweekly.substack.com
Reposted by Hope Sparks
radld.bsky.social
Prof. Hogan reports that "only 20% to 30% (of students with DLD) get the support they need, often after experiencing academic failure. The rest remain invisible". Let's learn more about support for DLD as Oct 17 DLD day approaches!

#DLDday @radld.bsky.social

leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/l...
Picture It: Systemic Support for Children With DLD
By identifying developmental language disorder earlier—and making intervention scalable through school and beyond—fewer children will struggle.
leader.pubs.asha.org
Reposted by Hope Sparks
faseborg.bsky.social
Today, scientists and advocates are participating in the Rally for Medical Research on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of funding biomedical research with their congressional representatives. FASEB is a proud sponsor of the rally. Follow the conversation using #RallyMedRes and #FundNIH.
Reposted by Hope Sparks
radld.bsky.social
Because awareness of DLD is only now starting to grow, we are missing whole generations of adults with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) whose needs were not identified as children. Like Nichole below

#DLDday is Friday October 17th 2025. 'You can't see DLD' is the theme. radld.org
#DevLangDis
Reposted by Hope Sparks
radld.bsky.social
YES! People with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) can succeed!

With their needs identified, support in place and adjustments, people with DLD can shine.

Join us in raising awareness of DLD. #DLDday is Friday October 17th. The theme is 'you can't see DLD.'

#DevLangDis
radld.org
Reposted by Hope Sparks
lucyhughesslt.bsky.social
Please check out the Top 10 Research Priority Questions for #DevLangDis. Newly launched after extensive consultations involving people with DLD, families and professionals. www.rcslt.org/news/top-que...
Top questions for DLD research priorities revealed | RCSLT
www.rcslt.org
Reposted by Hope Sparks
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
"Part of maturing as a field is to recognize its history: to decide what to keep, & what we must outgrow, both in how we train the next generation of researchers & in how we help the public make sense of our past." @dr-appie.bsky.social's nuanced take on social science genetics, well worth a read.👇🧪
A Love Letter to Social Science Genetics
Some people call social science genetics a minefield. Others call it dangerous, even irresponsible. I call it the most promising field in life sciences.
communities.springernature.com
hope-sparks.bsky.social
Just what I was looking for! Ty for sharing!
hope-sparks.bsky.social
huzzah! files not being on the home page has been messing with me every time!
Reposted by Hope Sparks
edldproject.bsky.social
Happy Thursday E-DLD followers! Here is today's summarised study.

Summary: www.engage-dld.com/post/does-a-...
Original article: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#devlangdis #languagedisorders #engagedld
Reposted by Hope Sparks
meetdld.bsky.social
You mustn’t forget … #DLDday is coming soon! October 17th and the theme is ‘You can’t see DLD’ so here are 5 things teachers can’t see. Tag a teacher and help raise awareness of developmental language disorder.
Visit RADLD.org for more information
#dld #devlangdis #nasuwt #tdl #adi #senco
Reposted by Hope Sparks
stephvanee-slt.bsky.social
New article from my PhD findings. Children aged 5-8 with CLP had lower visual and auditory attention skills compared with norms and these skills were correlated with language outcomes. Available open access @drhelenslt.bsky.social @cristina-mckean.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
Attention Skills in Children With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate
journals.sagepub.com
Reposted by Hope Sparks
ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
CDC employees are walking out in light of the mass shootings, firings, and *waves hands in the air* everything else.
#USANotRFK