ALL App Literacy Program for Children

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Penn State University

Disqualifiers: Severe speech disorders, English language, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 8 months

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how a literacy app can help children who struggle with speech improve their reading skills. It compares two learning methods: one group uses a phonics-based approach (ALL Phonics Instruction), while another focuses on sight words (ALL Sight Word Instruction). The study aims to determine which method is more effective for learning and how long it takes to acquire new skills. Children aged 3 to 10 with limited speech and reading abilities, who use communication aids, may be suitable for this study. Participants will complete 100 lessons using the app with guidance from a service provider. As an unphased study, this trial offers a unique opportunity for children to potentially enhance their reading skills through innovative learning methods.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

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

What prior data suggests that the ALL App Literacy Program is safe for children?

Research has shown that teaching children to read using phonics can be helpful. A study by the National Reading Panel found this method especially effective for students from kindergarten to sixth grade, particularly for those who might struggle with reading.

However, concerns exist about using too much phonics. Some studies suggest that not all children benefit equally from this approach. It's important to provide a balanced teaching method that meets each child's individual needs.

Overall, phonics instruction is generally well-received. Reports of negative effects are absent, as it focuses on improving reading skills rather than involving medical treatments. Participants in similar studies have not experienced problems with phonics-based learning. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the ALL App Literacy Program because it aims to enhance reading skills in children using innovative technology-driven methods. The ALL Phonics Instruction is unique because it combines systematic phonics teaching with machine learning to adapt lessons in real time, providing personalized instruction that focuses on crucial subskills like sound blending and decoding. On the other hand, the ALL Sight Word Instruction offers a targeted approach to sight word recognition, allowing children to practice with guided and independent sessions. Both methods leverage the ALL app to deliver engaging, structured lessons, making literacy learning more interactive and tailored to individual progress.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for improving literacy skills in children with limited or no speech?

Research has shown that teaching phonics can greatly improve reading skills, particularly in helping children sound out words. One study found that students using a specific phonics program made significant improvements in their reading. In this trial, participants in the "ALL Phonics Instruction" arm will receive structured phonics lessons, which are especially beneficial for young children, such as those in kindergarten, as they also enhance spelling and other reading skills.

Conversely, participants in the "ALL Sight Word" arm will focus on teaching sight words, which involves recognizing whole words at once. Studies suggest that learning sight words is highly effective for reading words that don't follow usual spelling rules and aids in practical reading. Both methods yield positive results, but their effectiveness can vary depending on the specific reading challenges of the learners. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Jessica Caron, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

The Pennsylvania State University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for English-speaking and reading school support personnel working with children aged 3-8 who use AAC due to speech challenges. The children should have limited literacy skills, not be receiving consistent phonics-based instruction, and must have access to an iPad.

Inclusion Criteria

My speech and communication do not fully meet my daily needs.

Symbolic communicators with use of at least 50 words/signs/picture icons expressively

Access to an iPad

Exclusion Criteria

Do not have access to an iPad to use the ALL app

Present with severe speech disorders whereby they could use or benefit from AAC

Not symbolic communicators

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants complete 100 lessons using the ALL app, with systematic instruction in phonics or sight words

8 months

Regular sessions with a service provider

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in literacy skills and app acceptability

8 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• ALL Phonics Instruction
• ALL Sight Word Instruction

Trial Overview The study tests a literacy app called Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL). It compares the effectiveness of ALL Sight Word Instruction versus ALL Phonics Instruction on improving literacy in children using AAC over 100 lessons.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: ALL Phonics Instruction Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Lessons for the treatment group will be 30-min. long using the ALL app with a known service provider. Lessons will include systematic instruction with four subskills per session (e.g., letter-sounds, sound blending, typing, and sight words). The words and subskills with rotate based on the data collected and the machine learning within the technology. The child will complete 100 lessons. The systematic instruction with subksills (e.g., sound blending, decoding) includes 10 trials per word and an instructional sequence that introduces the skill, two models, six trials of guided practice, and two trials of independent practice with corrective feedback.

Group II: ALL Sight Word Active Control 1 Intervention

Lessons for the comparison group will be 30-min. long using the ALL app with a known service provider. Lessons will include systematic instruction with sight words. The child will also complete 100 lessons.No phonics instruction will be provided to this group through the ALL app.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Penn State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

380

Recruited

131,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving 87 children aged 6 to 16 with reading and spelling difficulties, a new training program called Phono-Graphix(TM) led to significant improvements in reading skills after just 12 hours of one-on-one instruction.

On average, children improved by 13.7 standard score points in word recognition and 19.34 points in nonsense word decoding, indicating the program's effectiveness in enhancing phoneme awareness and decoding abilities.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phono-Graphix(TM): A new method for remediating reading difficulties. McGuinness, C., McGuinness, D., McGuinness, G.[2021]

Dynamic computerized visuo-attentional interventions have been shown to effectively improve reading skills in dyslexic children, with 18 studies involving 620 participants indicating benefits in reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.

Different types of interventions, such as visual perceptual training and action video games, were found to enhance reading abilities, suggesting that these methods may be as effective or even more effective than traditional phonological interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficacy of dynamic visuo-attentional interventions for reading in dyslexic and neurotypical children: A systematic review. Peters, JL., De Losa, L., Bavin, EL., et al.[2019]

Citations

1. shanahanonliteracy.com shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/what-about-the-new-research-that-says-phonics-instruction-isnt-very-important

New Research That Says About Phonics Instruction A meta-analysis that showed phonics instruction to have a much smaller effect size (.19) than many other approaches to reading instruction.

2. edweek.org edweek.org/teaching-learning/researchers-created-a-phonics-program-with-dramatic-results-how-it-works/2025/01

Researchers Created a Phonics Program With 'Dramatic' ... A new study has found evidence of big gains in students' reading ability from using one specific phonics program.

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X18301660

A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of phonics instruction ... This meta-analysis examines the effects of phonics instruction on the decoding skills of students with intellectual disability using a random-effects model.

4. nichd.nih.gov nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/findings

Report of the National Reading Panel | NICHD - NIH Across all grade levels, systematic phonics instruction improved the ability of good readers to spell. The impact was strongest for kindergartners and decreased ...

5. 95percentgroup.com 95percentgroup.com/efficacy-studies/?srsltid=AfmBOor6S39stV05YjIYXceD2Khpth0aMITOthhijoDs2x-kT9j6n5BE

Efficacy Studies A year-long study of 95 Phonics Core Program conducted in Missouri demonstrated that students who used the program outperformed those in all grades K-2 who ...

6. edweek.org edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-most-popular-reading-programs-arent-backed-by-science/2019/12

The Most Popular Reading Programs Aren't Backed by ... Though billed as a core reading program, the Units of Study in Reading doesn't teach phonemic awareness or phonics systematically or explicitly.

7. thereadingleague.org thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NRP-Report.pdf

National Reading Panel - Teaching Children to Read ... all children at risk for reading failure;. • The importance of phonemic awareness, phonics ... data were treated as preliminary/pilot data that might ...

8. sites.ualberta.ca sites.ualberta.ca/~lphillip/documents/jarl-ft.pdf

Potential Risks to Reading Posed by High-Dose Phonics Many children who should be capable of reading well given adequate instruction cannot do so, which suggests that the instructional methods available to them ...