Speech Therapy Frequency for Pediatric Speech and Language Disorders

Not currently recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Virginia Van Epps, M.Ed.

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Disqualifiers: Voice, feeding, fluency, cognition, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: up to 4 months

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if altering the frequency of speech therapy sessions improves language and speaking skills in children. It compares weekly sessions with every-other-week sessions, both paired with home exercises, over a total of 8 sessions. Children who require speech therapy for language and articulation issues and have previously completed a treatment plan may be suitable candidates.

As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity for children to potentially enhance their communication skills through varied therapy schedules.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications. It seems focused on speech therapy frequency, so it's unlikely that medication changes are required.

What prior data suggests that this speech therapy protocol is safe for children?

Research has shown that speech therapy is a safe treatment for children with speech and language problems. Each year, more than half of U.S. children with these issues receive some form of help, including speech therapy. This widespread use suggests it is generally well-tolerated. Studies have not identified any specific harmful effects from speech therapy. Therefore, parents can feel confident about its safety for their children. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it aims to find the optimal frequency of speech therapy for children with speech and language disorders. Unlike traditional approaches that typically recommend a standard once-a-week schedule, this trial explores whether therapy every week with home programming delivers better outcomes compared to every-other-week sessions. By investigating these different schedules, researchers hope to identify the most effective and efficient way to support children's communication development, potentially leading to more personalized and effective treatment plans.

What evidence suggests that this trial's speech therapy frequency could be effective for pediatric speech and language disorders?

Research shows that speech therapy can significantly help children with speech and language problems. Studies have found that about 80% of children receiving speech and language therapy experience improvements. In this trial, one group of participants will receive weekly therapy, which earlier studies have shown led to significant improvements in nearly half of the children after eight weeks. Another group will receive therapy every other week. One study suggested that even one hour of therapy each week can make lasting changes, especially when parents assist at home. These findings highlight the potential benefits of regular speech therapy sessions for enhancing children's language and speaking skills. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Virginia Van Epps, M.Ed.

Principal Investigator

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Emma Mendillo, MA

Principal Investigator

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Morgan Daur-Schierholz, MS

Principal Investigator

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Mary Dortenzio, MS

Principal Investigator

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Jodi Urzua, MS

Principal Investigator

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children aged 18 months to 16 years who need speech therapy and have completed one plan of care. They must attend at least 80% of their sessions, be recommended for individual treatment, and have a diagnosis related to language or articulation disorders. It's not for those unable to complete certain standardized tests or seeking therapy for voice, feeding, fluency, cognition issues.

Inclusion Criteria

I have been diagnosed with a communication disorder.

I am recommended for one-on-one treatment, not in a group.

I have completed an 8-session treatment plan.

Exclusion Criteria

I am not willing to complete all 8 sessions required.

I am seeking speech therapy for issues with my voice, eating, speaking smoothly, or thinking.

Patient unable to complete standardized tests (EOWPVT-4, ROWPVT-4, GFTA-3, REEL-4)

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive either weekly or every-other-week speech therapy with home programming for a total of 8 sessions

up to 4 months

8 sessions (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in vocabulary and articulation skills after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Speech Therapy

Trial Overview The study compares the effectiveness of weekly versus every-other-week speech therapy sessions with home programming over eight sessions in outpatient settings. The focus is on whether session frequency affects language and articulation test scores in pediatric patients.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Weekly therapy with home programming Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Receipt of speech therapy care (every week) for 8.0 sessions

Group II: Every-other-week therapy with home programming Active Control 1 Intervention

Receipt of standard speech therapy care (every-other-week) for 8.0 sessions

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

76

Recruited

30,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A quality improvement project increased the intensity of speech and language therapy for children with severe speech sound disorder (SSD) from an average of 30 target sounds to over 70 per session, aligning with research recommendations.

Despite challenges in increasing the frequency of therapy sessions to twice a week, improvements were observed in children's speech outcomes and parent ratings of intelligibility, demonstrating the effectiveness of a more intensive intervention model.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Applying evidence to practice by increasing intensity of intervention for children with severe speech sound disorder: a quality improvement project. McFaul, H., Mulgrew, L., Smyth, J., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875957225001007

The improvement following speech and language therapy ... This study aimed to investigate whether post-SLT improvements occur in children with MLD and whether there are age-related differences in improvements.

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6464758/

Speech and language therapy interventions for children with ... To determine the effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions for children with a primary diagnosis of speech and/or language disorders.

3. rcslt.org rcslt.org/news/most-children-who-receive-speech-and-language-therapy-have-improved-outcomes/

Most children who receive speech and language therapy ... New data suggests eight out of 10 children who receive speech and language therapy show improved outcomes.

4. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/17549507.2013.777851?journalCode=iasl20

Daily or weekly? The role of treatment frequency in ... Single-subject analyses indicated that 46% of children in the 8-week group and 17% of children in the 8-day group showed a significant treatment effect. It is ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6992381/

Can one hour per week of therapy lead to lasting changes ... The authors found that a majority of parents were able to learn the techniques after a 12 week accelerated program and most children (between 19 and 48 months ...

6. nidcd.nih.gov nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-voice-speech-language

Quick Statistics About Voice, Speech, Language - NIDCD - NIH More than half (59.7%) of U.S. children ages 3-17 with a voice, speech, or language disorder received intervention services in the past year.

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9987562/

Speech-language disorder severity, academic success ... Research points to negative associations between educational success, socioemotional functioning, and the severity of symptoms in some speech-language ...

8. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2024_LSHSS-24-00050

A Scoping Review of Intervention Outcomes for School ... The primary aim of this review was to identify the outcomes measured in intervention studies for school-aged children with speech, language, and communication ...

9. uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/speech-and-language-delay-and-disorders-in-children-age-5-and-younger-screening

Speech and Language Delay and Disorders in Children ... The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for speech and language delay and disorders in ...

10. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05900180

Pediatric Speech Therapy Session Frequency and ... The main question it aims to answer is: Does a change in how often speech therapy sessions are delivered show an increased benefit in language and articulation ...