Research Project
10251947
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (CLDRC) is a long-standing interdisciplinary, multisite research program that investigates the genetic and environmental etiologies, neurobiology, neuropsychology, classification, and outcomes of learning disabilities (LDs) and related disorders such as attention/deficit- hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The overarching long-term goal of the CLDRC is to develop and refine a comprehensive neurodevelopmental and neurobiological model of LDs and related disorders, then to use that model to inform early screening and identification to guide prevention and treatment. Results from the CLDRC will facilitate refinements to theoretical models and improve classification of learning disabilities (LDs) and lead to important improvements in neural models of LDs and related disorders, including the cognitive correlates of LDs in the understudied population of bilingual learners. In combination with the results from the other projects, the molecular genetic analyses in Project IV will provide key information to develop and refine etiological models of the specific genetic and environmental risk factors that contribute to the development of LDs. Of similar importance to these research objectives are our related aims regarding the effective dissemination of our results. In addition to our ongoing efforts to publish our result for the scientific community, the Engagement Core will support efforts to translate and disseminate results from the CLDRC to a broader audiences of practitioners, educators, and individuals with learning disabilities. The CLDRC infrastructure also provides an unprecedented opportunity for interdisciplinary mentorship and project-embedded career enhancement opportunities for the next generation of LD investigators. We will continue to support these opportunities during the next five years through individual training plans, a new CLDRC webinar series, and the CLDRC Pilot Project Program, helping to ensure that the developing scholars in the CLDRC are highly competitive for positions in top-tier research universities when they leave our laboratories and training programs. The most distal long-term research objective of the CLDRC is the development of a comprehensive model of LDs that is based on a complete understanding of LDs at the genetic, environmental, neurobiological, cognitive, behavioral, and instructional levels of analysis. This is a daunting challenge that cannot be overcome by a single scientist or research lab working in isolation. Instead, this work will require the successful integration of diverse literatures, scientific approaches, and analytical strategies. The ongoing and long-term objective of the CLDRC is to continue provide a place where this integration can occur to promote interdisciplinary LD research and to develop the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists and practitioners.
