Randomized Clinical Trial of Phonological Interventions

NCT00818428 | Unknown Phase 2

• 1 other identifier: 410-2008-0503
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 96
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Recent research reveals genetic and symptomatic overlap among children with speech sound disorders (i.e., those who (misarticulate more sounds than would be expected for their age) and children with dyslexia (i.e., those who struggle to learn to read). Children who have speech sound disorders as preschoolers are at risk for the later emergence of dyslexia, a risk that often reveals itself in the form of poor phonological awareness skills during the preschool period. Traditional speech therapy methods focus on articulation accuracy and do not focus on the child's more abstract knowledge of the sound system of the language. The ultimate objective of this research program is to prevent reading disability in children who present with speech sounds disorders. The relative effectiveness of different interventions to help these children achieve age-appropriate phonological processing skills prior to school entry will be investigated. It is expected that a combination of treatment approaches that focus on speech perception skills and vocabulary knowledge will have a superior impact on phonological awareness in comparison with a treatment approach that focuses solely on articulation accuracy.

Conditions

Speech Articulation Disorder; Developmental Articulation Disorder; Phonological Impairment; Dyslexia

Keywords

Phonological Awareness; Speech Articulation Disorder; Development Articulation Disorder; Phonological Impairment; Dyslexia; Speech Therapy; School Transition

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Phonological Awareness (Test d'Analyse Auditive en Français [Auditory Analysis Test in French])

  12 months post treatment onset

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Articulation Accuracy (Test Francophone de Phonologie, Paul et Rvachew [Test of French Phonology)

  6 weeks post treatment onset; 12 weeks post-treatment onset; 12 months post-treatment onset

• Vocabulary Knowledge (Échelle de Vocabulaire en Image Peabody [Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - French Edition)

  12 months post-treatment onset

• Phonological Awareness (Test de Conscience Phonologique, Brosseau-Lapre et Rvachew [Phonological Awareness Test - French Version])

  6 weeks post-treatment onset; 12 weeks post-treatment onset

Study Arms (4)

1

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Speech Production Intervention + Articulation Parent Group

Behavioral: Speech Production Intervention; Behavioral: Articulation Parent Group

2

EXPERIMENTAL

Speech Production Intervention + Dialogic Reading Parent Group

Behavioral: Speech Production Intervention; Behavioral: Dialogic Reading Parent Group

3

EXPERIMENTAL

Speech Perception Intervention + Articulation Parent Group

Behavioral: Speech Perception Intervention; Behavioral: Articulation Parent Group

4

EXPERIMENTAL

Speech Perception Intervention + Dialogical Reading Parent Group

Behavioral: Speech Perception Intervention; Behavioral: Dialogic Reading Parent Group

Interventions

Speech Production Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Individual speech therapy directed at teaching the child to articulation specific speech sounds or word shapes accurately using traditional procedures such as phonetic placement and imitated and spontaneous speech production practice with feedback from the clinician about accuracy of articulatory gestures and knowledge of results.

Also known as: Articulation therapy

1; 2

Speech Perception Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Individualized intervention in which the Speech Assessment and Interactive Learning System is used to teach the child to identify recordings of words as either correct or incorrect pronunciations of the target word. In the event that the child is completely unable to pronounce the target speech sounds or word shapes focused stimulation activities are used to provide the child with further auditory exposure to the target forms. If the child stimulable for the target forms, the child is given opportunities the produce the target speech sounds or word shapes in the context of minimal pair games in which the child receives feedback about the communicative effectiveness of his or her attempts to produce the target words.

3; 4

Articulation Parent Group BEHAVIORAL

Parents are taught to carry out home practice activities that focus on the child's ability to correctly articulate target speech sounds and word shapes.

1; 3

Dialogic Reading Parent Group BEHAVIORAL

Parents are taught to read to their children using interactive techniques that help their children acquire new vocabulary, verbal reasoning abilities, and preliteracy skills.

2; 4

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 48 Months - 71 Months
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• primary diagnosis of speech articulation disorder/phonological impairment
• age 4 to 5 years of age at onset of treatment
• maternal language Canadian French (at least 75% exposure)
• must misarticulate at least two phonemes that would typically be mastered by their normally developing age peers

You may not qualify if:

• speech disorder is secondary to a primary condition (e.g., hearing impairment, cleft palate, autism, Down syndrome etc.)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McGill University: lead

Study Sites (2)

McGill University

Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A8, Canada

RECRUITING

Montreal Children's Hospital

Montreal, Quebec, H3H 1P3, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Articulation Disorders; Dyslexia; Communication Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Specific Learning Disorder; Learning Disabilities; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Susan Rvachew, Ph.D.

  McGill University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Francoise Brosseau-Lapre, M.Sc.(A)

CONTACT

514-398-4137; francoise.brosseau-lapre@mail.mcgill.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 5, 2009
• First Posted: January 7, 2009
• Study Start: November 1, 2008
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2010
• Study Completion: July 1, 2010
• Last Updated: September 23, 2009

Record last verified: 2009-09

Locations

CA (2)