Treatment for Reading and Writing Deficits Following Acquired Brain Injury

NCT03662243 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Reading/writing treatment
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 2
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Many people with acquired brain injuries have deficits in reading decoding, reading comprehension, and written expression. Alexia is a phenomenon in which a person who previously could read has trouble doing so after having sustained a brain injury; likewise, agraphia is an acquired writing problem affecting one or more aspects of written communication. Alexia and agraphia sometimes co-occur with one another and/or with other language challenges, but they can also occur as isolated phenomena. Methods to treat alexia and agraphia often focus on single intervention techniques that address aspects of reading or writing in isolation-such as matching written and spoken letters or letter sounds, performing choral reading, tracing letters, etc. Existing research suggests that the effectiveness of these techniques is limited. However, when used in combination, such techniques may promote improved reading and written communication skills. As such, the purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which a multicomponent intervention program improves the reading and writing capabilities of people with acquired alexia and/or agraphia.

Conditions

Acquired Brain Injury; Alexia; Agraphia

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Change in score on Word Attack subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement.

  Subtest raw sores range from 0 to 32,with higher scores indicating better performance.

  Change from baseline at 8 weeks

• Change in score on Passage Comprehension subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement.

  Subtest raw scores range from 0 to 47, with higher scores indicating better performance.

  Change from baseline at 8 weeks

• Change in score on Word Reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test 4.

  Subtest raw scores range from 0 to 70, with higher scores indicating better performance.

  Change from baseline at 8 weeks

• Change in score on Spelling subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test 4.

  Subtest raw scores range from 0 to 57, with higher scores indicating better performance.

  Change from baseline at 8 weeks

• Change in score on Test of Silent Reading Speed and Efficiency.

  Raw scores range from 0 to 70, with higher scores indicating better performance.

  Change from baseline at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Sight word decoding accuracy

  One time per week for 8 weeks

• Oral reading rate of passages

  As the first of five tasks of each session for 8 weeks (each session is 1 hour).

• Decoding errors during oral reading of passages

  As the first of five tasks of each session for 8 weeks (each session is 1 hour).

• Oral spelling of words

  As the second of five tasks of each session for 8 weeks (each session is 1 hour).

Study Arms (1)

Acquired brain injury participants

People with acquired alexia and/or agraphia secondary to brain injury who participate in the reading/writing intervention.

Behavioral: Multicomponent reading and writing treatment

Interventions

Multicomponent reading and writing treatment BEHAVIORAL

Intervention procedures incorporated into the program include drilling on sight words to improve immediate recognition of common words; engaging in Multiple Oral Reading procedures to increase reading fluency; practicing oral spelling of sight words to improve spelling accuracy; generating written sentences to improve accurate spelling and use of written conventions (e.g., punctuation, capitalization); and summarizing and subsequently writing sentences about read material to establish strategies to enhance reading comprehension and promote written expression.

Acquired brain injury participants

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

People enrolled in rehabilitation programs at Quality Living in Omaha, Nebraska, who are between the ages of 14 and 70 years and who experience alexia and/or agraphia secondary to acquired brain injury.

You may qualify if:

• Survivor of acquired brain injury
• Exhibits alexia and/or agraphia
• Past or current client of Quality Living, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
• Fluent speaker of English

You may not qualify if:

• Vision impairment prohibiting reading of 24-point text
• Auditory comprehension problems precluding understanding of consent/assent information

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Quality Living, Inc.: lead

Study Sites (1)

Quality Living, Inc.

Omaha, Nebraska, 68104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Brain Injuries; Dyslexia; Agraphia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Craniocerebral Trauma; Trauma, Nervous System; Wounds and Injuries; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Specific Learning Disorder; Learning Disabilities; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Karen Hux, Ph.D.

  Quality Living, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Director of Research

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 3, 2018
• First Posted: September 7, 2018
• Study Start: August 30, 2018
• Primary Completion: September 15, 2020
• Study Completion: September 15, 2020
• Last Updated: March 10, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)