Supportive Learning for Developmental Language Disorder

Overseen By Lab Manager

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

Disqualifiers: Intellectual disability, Autism, Hearing loss, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

120 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to understand how memory and attention affect vocabulary learning in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). It explores various methods of presenting words, such as using English-like prosody (rhythm and pitch) or adding visual and audio cues to capture attention. Children with DLD or typical language development, who have been exposed to English from birth and do not have other developmental or sensory issues, may be suitable participants.

As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research that could improve educational strategies for children with DLD.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that supportive learning and cascade strategies are being explored to help children with developmental language disorder (DLD) improve their vocabulary. Although limited data exists on the safety of these educational techniques, they employ non-invasive methods like attention-grabbing cues and active practice, which are generally safe. These strategies aim to enhance learning without any known risks.

The trial is labeled as "Not Applicable" in terms of phase, indicating that the techniques are educational rather than medical treatments. This suggests a lower risk compared to drug trials. So far, similar supportive learning methods have not reported negative effects in children. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative methods to support children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Unlike standard treatments that often focus on repetitive speech therapy, this trial investigates how different factors like prosody, meaning, and grammar can enhance language learning. Additionally, it examines the role of attention-grabbing techniques and active versus passive learning in improving language skills. By understanding these elements, researchers hope to develop more effective, tailored interventions that cater to the unique needs of children with DLD.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for developmental language disorder?

Research has shown that children with developmental language disorder (DLD) can benefit from specific learning methods, such as Cascades and supportive learning strategies. This trial will test different approaches, including prosody, meaning, grammar, attention, and encoding techniques. Studies have found that these methods help children with DLD learn and remember new words more effectively. Specifically, one study revealed that children with DLD who actively practiced learning new words improved their vocabulary more than those who did not. Supportive learning, which often involves repeating words in meaningful ways, also aids in understanding new vocabulary. These methods employ attention-grabbing techniques and clear grammar to facilitate learning, making them promising strategies for assisting children with DLD. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Karla McGregor, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Boystown National Research Hospital

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children with developmental language disorders (DLD), including acquired language disorder and central auditory processing disorder. It aims to understand how their memory and attention influence learning new vocabulary.

Inclusion Criteria

Has DLD or typical language development

Exclusion Criteria

I have a condition like autism or hearing loss that could explain my language issues.

I was not exposed to English from birth.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Experimental Tasks

Participants engage in various tasks to assess memory and attention, including syllable repetition and word comprehension under different conditions.

2 days

2 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any additional insights or data collection post-experiment.

2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Cascades
• Supportive learning

Trial Overview The study tests the effectiveness of 'Cascades' and 'Supportive learning' interventions in improving verbal memory, which may help children with DLD enhance their vocabulary acquisition skills.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Prosody Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

In Aim 1a, the syllables to be repeated are presented with English-like prosody or list-like prosody.

Group II: Meaning Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

In Aim 1a, the syllables to be repeated will have meaning (e.g., neck) or no meaning (e.g., ba).

Group III: Grammar Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

In Aim 1b, the syllables to be repeated are English adjectives and nouns. They will be presented to obey English grammar (e.g., happy pencil) or not (e.g., pencil happy).

Group IV: Encoding Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

In Aim 4, new words will be learned from instruction that involves active practice (high encoding condition) or passive study (low encoding condition).

Group V: Attention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

In Aim 2, the syllables to be repeated will be presented in the 'baseline' condition or an 'attention-grabbing' condition. The attention grabbers are a reduction in the audio signal of 10dB (so that the child must listen carefully) and a visual cue (a cartoon character with large ears to cue listening carefully).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14

Recruited

1,600+

University of Iowa

Collaborator

Trials

486

Recruited

934,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborator

Trials

2,896

Recruited

8,053,000+

Citations

1. reporter.nih.gov reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11176331

RePORT RePORTER - National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Project Summary Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a disorder in language learning and use that affects 7% of the population.

2. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/367663535_Cascades_in_language_acquisition_Re-thinking_the_linear_model_of_development

Cascades in language acquisition: Re-thinking the linear ... This chapter reviews evidence in developmental literature from multiple domains and disciplines (i.e., cognitive, social, motor, bilingual ...

3. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00003

How We Fail Children With Developmental Language ... The purposes of this clinical focus article are to present evidence that these failures continue, explore the reasons behind these failures, and propose ...

4. ouci.dntb.gov.ua ouci.dntb.gov.ua/en/works/lmaLm1ol/

Cascades in language acquisition: Re-thinking the linear ... Taking into account the positive association observed between lexical abilities and academic performance in children, this research aims to compare the ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749596X25000713

Word learning in children with developmental language ... (2021) conducted research to examine how nine children with DLD encoded, consolidated, and reconsolidated words over time compared to nine typically developing ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12257067/

A Scoping Review of the Observed and Perceived Functional ... DLD is characterised by persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language due to impairments in comprehension and/or production in ...

7. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00247

A First-Person Account of Developmental Language Disorder The aim of this study is to share the lived experiences of an adult with developmental language disorder (DLD) and relate her experience to the evidence base.

8. safesupportivelearning.ed.gov safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/DataResources508.pdf

Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline With RTI, schools use data to identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence- based interventions and adjust ...

9. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/351597383_Developmental_Variability_and_Developmental_Cascades_Lessons_From_Motor_and_Language_Development_in_Infancy

Lessons From Motor and Language Development in Infancy This interconnection among motor skills, environment, and other domains of development is often explained through the concept of 'developmental cascades', where ...