Sequential Pattern Learning Assessment for Specific Language Impairment

No longer recruiting at 2 trial locations

Overseen By Megan D Figueroa, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

Disqualifiers: Hearing impairment, Autism, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether difficulties in understanding and using language stem from a broader issue with learning sequences or patterns. Researchers focus on adults to examine how they process language rules and categories, which could aid in developing better tools for diagnosing and treating children with developmental language disorder (DLD). The trial consists of two parts, assessing how adults respond to language sound rules (sensitivity to phonological rules) and category clues (sensitivity to semantic category cues). It suits adults who have spoken English since childhood, have normal hearing, and no history of language or learning issues. As an unphased trial, this study allows participants to contribute to foundational research that may lead to improved diagnostic and treatment tools for children with DLD.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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

What prior data suggests that this assessment method is safe for adults?

Research has shown that understanding how sounds and word meanings work can aid in addressing language difficulties. However, specific safety information about these methods remains limited. Most research examines language patterns and learning rather than direct health risks.

For understanding sound rules, studies lack clear safety details, particularly for adults, as most research focuses on children with language problems. Similarly, studies on understanding word meanings primarily explore how individuals with language issues comprehend words.

This trial is in the "Not Applicable" phase, indicating that any risks might be low. The trial likely focuses on observing how people learn rather than testing a new drug or treatment. It is important to consult a healthcare professional before joining any study to understand possible risks and benefits. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores new ways to understand and potentially improve language skills in adults with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Unlike traditional therapeutic approaches that might focus on direct language instruction or speech therapy, this trial investigates the brain's ability to learn patterns in language, which could unlock new strategies for enhancing language processing. By focusing on sensitivity to phonological rules and semantic category cues, researchers aim to uncover how adults with SLI can better perceive and use language patterns, offering hope for more effective and targeted interventions in the future.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for specific language impairment?

This trial will assess two different approaches for adults with specific language impairment (SLI). One arm focuses on sensitivity to phonological rules, addressing difficulties in processing sounds that affect language learning. Research has shown that up to 80% of children with SLI struggle with listening tasks, which may relate to their language challenges.

The other arm examines sensitivity to semantic category cues, exploring how understanding relationships between word meanings can aid language skills. Studies suggest that awareness of these relationships can expand vocabulary and comprehension.

These findings indicate that focusing on both sound patterns and word meanings might improve language learning and communication in people with developmental language disorder. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Lisa Goffman, PhD

Principal Investigator

Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults with normal hearing and no medical, educational, or developmental concerns. Participants should have been primarily exposed to English since infancy and have no history of speech, language, or hearing difficulties. It excludes those with hearing, intellectual or significant motor impairments, autism, or reported developmental disorders.

Inclusion Criteria

I have normal hearing.

I have never had problems with speech, language, or hearing.

I have no history of medical, educational, or developmental issues.

Exclusion Criteria

I have a hearing problem.

People with autism are not allowed to participate.

You have had developmental, speech, language, or hearing disorders in the past.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Training

Participants are familiarized with different types of sound patterns and semantic cues

4 weeks

Assessment

Participants' ability to learn sound patterns is assessed immediately following the intervention

1 week

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for retention of learning and effectiveness of intervention

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Sensitivity to phonological rules: Adults
• Sensitivity to semantic category cues: Adults

Trial Overview The study tests the hypothesis that deficits in morphological and phonological aspects of language are connected by a broader issue in sequential pattern learning. This could lead to better early assessments and treatments for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in children.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Sensitivity to semantic category cues: Adults Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Arm 1. Referential cue during OR learning.

Group II: Sensitivity to phonological rules: Adults Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Arm 1: Single Feature Pattern; Arm 2: OR/Disjunction Pattern

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14

Recruited

1,600+

LouAnn Gerken

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

1,300+

The University of Texas at Dallas

Collaborator

Trials

71

Recruited

108,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Adults with developmental language disorder (DLD) can learn certain types of artificial grammar, specifically the Family Resemblance grammar, as effectively as adults with typical development, indicating that their learning abilities are not universally impaired.

The study supports the sequential pattern learning deficit hypothesis, suggesting that difficulties in grammar learning for individuals with DLD are primarily linked to challenges in computing sequential dependencies rather than a general impairment in implicit learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Not All Procedural Learning Tasks Are Difficult for Adults With Developmental Language Disorder. Gerken, L., Plante, E., Goffman, L.[2021]

Adolescents and young adults with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) showed less consistency in identifying speech sounds compared to age-matched controls, indicating potential speech perception deficits.

Individuals with SLI placed less importance on vowel duration cues when categorizing sounds, but these deficits in speech perception did not directly correlate with their overall language skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phonetic categorisation and cue weighting in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Tuomainen, O., Stuart, NJ., van der Lely, HK.[2015]

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) showed improved comprehension of words when using semantic cues and better production of words with phonological cues, indicating that tailored strategies can enhance word learning for this group.

In contrast, children with normal language (NL) performed similarly across both cue types but required fewer trials to learn words, suggesting that children with SLI may need more support in word learning compared to their peers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Word learning by preschoolers with specific language impairment: effect of phonological or semantic cues. Gray, S.[2022]

Specific Language Impairment (SLI) affects children who struggle to develop language skills despite normal overall development, and it may stem from either grammatical knowledge deficits or information-processing issues.

The study suggests that phonology, which is crucial for understanding speech sounds, may connect speech processing deficits to the grammatical challenges faced by children with SLI, highlighting its role in language learning and working memory.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Specific language impairment: a deficit in grammar or processing? Joanisse, MF., Seidenberg, MS.[2011]

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) showed impaired ability to learn auditory categories through procedural learning methods, while their rule-based learning remained intact, indicating a specific deficit in procedural learning.

The study highlights that children with DLD have slower adaptation to optimal procedural strategies, supporting the idea that language disorders may stem from difficulties in procedural learning systems, which can affect their ability to form stable linguistic representations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Procedural auditory category learning is selectively disrupted in developmental language disorder. Derawi, H., Roark, CL., Gabay, Y.[2023]

In a study involving 32 adults (16 with language/learning disabilities and 16 without), those with disabilities showed significantly poorer performance in recognizing grammatical word order cues in an artificial grammar task, indicating challenges in this area.

The findings suggest that the ability to learn and apply word order rules, which typically develops early in life, remains problematic for adults with language/learning disabilities.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensitivity to word order cues by normal and language/learning disabled adults. Plante, E., Gomez, R., Gerken, L.[2022]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5122002/

A systematic review on diagnostic procedures for specific ... In this study, we searched for tests/measures with predefined sensitivity and specificity for identification of preschool children with SLI from their ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3021769/

Phonological working memory impairments in children with ... The purpose of this study was to determine which factors contribute to the lexical learning deficits of children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI).

3. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00132

Optimizing Outcomes for Children With Phonological ... In this article, we introduce the Speech Outcome Reporting Taxonomy (SORT), a tool designed to assist with the classification of outcome and experience ...

4. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/234159904_Phonological_processing_skills_in_specific_language_impairment

(PDF) Phonological processing skills in specific language ... This study utilized a battery of phonological processing tasks to compare the phonological processing skills of children with SLI to typically-developing peers.

5. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/1092-4388%282007/046%29

Basic Auditory Processing Skills and Specific Language ... Results. As many as 70%–80% of children diagnosed with SLI were found to perform below the 5th percentile of age-matched controls in auditory processing tasks ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4303922/

Specific language impairment: a convenient label for whom? Specific language impairment (SLI) describes children with language impairment and normal cognitive skills, where no other reason for the impairment is found.

7. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0021992416300156

The sensitivity of children with SLI to phonotactic ... Phonotactic probabilities had a significant impact on the accuracy and speed of pseudoword rejection in children with SLI, but not in the two control groups.

8. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/248403083_Phonology_and_children_with_specific_language_impairment

Phonology and children with specific language impairment Two studies are reported in which the phonological characteristics of preschool-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) are compared

9. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-disease-7-2020-4c4b9

Phonological Pattern Learning for Language Disorder in Toddlers Is the phonological pattern learning treatment safe for toddlers with language disorders? The research does not provide specific safety data for the ...

10. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2845283/

Phonological Awareness and Types of Sound Errors in ... A prospective study of the relationship between specific language impairment, phonological disorders and reading retardation. Journal of Child Psychology ...