A Comparison of Language Intervention Programs

NCT00033150 | Completed Phase 3

• 1 other identifier: U01DC004560
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 216
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Brief Summary: Nearly 7% of elementary school children present with difficulties learning and using language. Unfortunately, language impairments are often long lasting and may have serious social, academic, and vocational ramifications. More than 1 million children receive language intervention in the public schools each year, and many more are seen in hospitals and other clinical settings. This randomized clinical trial compares the language outcomes of Fast ForWord to two other interventions (computer assisted language intervention without acoustically modified speech and individual language intervention) and to the outcomes of an academic enrichment (control) condition. Each year for 3 years, children will be randomly assigned to each of the four conditions at three regional sites (Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas, and Lawrence, Kansas). The treatments will be administered in special summer programs. The primary research question is which intervention results in the most improvement in the composite language score from the Oral and Written Language Scales. Secondary questions include which intervention results in the greatest gains in conversational language,which intervention results in the greatest gains 3 and 6 months after training, which intervention results in the greatest improvement in auditory perception, and which intervention is the most cost effective. The results of the study will have theoretical and practical value. Theoretically, the study tests the temporal processing hypothesis of language impairment. Practically, the study will describe and compare the language, communication, auditory processing and academic outcomes of different language interventions. The study will help clinicians and administrators choose the most effective and least expensive treatment for the children they serve.

Conditions

Language Disorders

Keywords

Specific Language Impairment; Fast ForWord; Language therapy; Auditory processing

Interventions

Fast ForWord BEHAVIORAL

Computer Assisted Language Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Individual Language Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Academic enrichment BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• age 6 to 9 years
• score between 75 and 125 on the Matrices subtest of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test
• Speaking Quotient of 79 or lower on the Test of Language Development: Primary: 3rd Edition

You may not qualify if:

• Previous participation in 8 or more hours of language intervention or classroom activities using any of the Fast ForWord, Laureate, or Earobics speech-language or reading software and/or the Lindamood-Bell auditory discrimination training
• Failure of a hearing screening test
• An episode of otitis media in the previous 12 months
• Evidence of focal brain lesion, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, or seizure disorder
• Abnormality of oral structure or function impeding normal language production

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): lead

Study Sites (2)

Lawrence Public Schools USD 497

Lawrence, Kansas, 66044, United States

Location

Pflugerville Independent School District

Pflugerville, Texas, 78660, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Language Disorders; Specific Language Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Language Development Disorders; Learning Disabilities; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Ronald Gillam, PhD

  Pflugerville Independent School District

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 3
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2002
• First Posted: April 9, 2002
• Study Start: June 1, 2002
• Study Completion: January 1, 2005
• Last Updated: April 24, 2006

Record last verified: 2006-04

Locations

US (2)