Signing Instruction for Language Development

Overseen By Leala Holcomb, PhD in Education

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Disqualifiers: Non-deaf children

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 9 academic months

8 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

Eight deaf children in kindergarten to 3rd grade classes will be randomly selected for single case research. Their language skills will be monitored and assessed daily. Using a noncurrent multiple baseline design (Single Case Research Design or SCRD), Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) will be administered to two children in each of four classes.

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

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

How does the Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) treatment differ from other treatments for language development?

The Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) treatment is unique because it focuses on using sign language as a strategic and interactive tool to enhance language development, particularly for deaf and hard of hearing children. Unlike other treatments that may rely on verbal or written language, SISI emphasizes the use of gestures and signs to facilitate communication and cognitive processes, making it particularly effective in environments where conventional linguistic input is limited. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) for language development?

Research shows that teaching sign language skills to caregivers and individuals with cognitive impairments can improve communication and social interactions. Studies have demonstrated that sign language training helps maintain learned skills over time and enhances social behaviors, suggesting that similar methods like SISI could be effective for language development. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for deaf children in kindergarten to 3rd grade. To participate, they must be randomly selected from their classes and have no other conditions that would affect the study's results.

Inclusion Criteria

My child is deaf and in K-3rd grade at a school for the deaf.

Exclusion Criteria

My child can hear.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline

Children remain in the baseline phase before receiving Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI)

3-9 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) and their language skills are monitored and assessed daily

9 academic months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for the development of target sign language skills

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Trial Overview The trial tests Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction on language development. Eight children will receive this instruction individually while being monitored daily using a specific research design.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Single Case Research Design: Phase 4 Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

A randomized selection method will be employed to select deaf children to participate in single case research. Two children will be selected from each age group between 5 and 10, making a total of eight students. Their language skills will be closely monitored and evaluated over the course of the year. Following the noncurrent multiple baseline design, in succession across 8 child participants in 4 classes, 2 SCRD participants in a class will begin receiving SISI while other children remain in the baseline for 3 weeks.

Group II: Single Case Research Design: Phase 3 Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

A randomized selection method will be employed to select deaf children to participate in single case research. Two children will be selected from each age group between 5 and 10, making a total of eight students. Their language skills will be closely monitored and evaluated over the course of the year. Following the noncurrent multiple baseline design, in succession across 8 child participants in 4 classes, 2 SCRD participants in a class will begin receiving SISI while other children remain in the baseline for 3 weeks.

Group III: Single Case Research Design: Phase 2 Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

A randomized selection method will be employed to select deaf children to participate in single case research. Two children will be selected from each age group between 5 and 10, making a total of eight students. Their language skills will be closely monitored and evaluated over the course of the year. Following the noncurrent multiple baseline design, in succession across 8 child participants in 4 classes, three weeks after Phase 1 participants have begun SISI, Phase 2 participants in a class will begin receiving SISI while other children remain in the baseline.

Group IV: Single Case Research Design: Phase 1 Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

A randomized selection method will be employed to select deaf children to participate in single case research. Two children will be selected from each age group between 5 and 10, making a total of eight students. Their language skills will be closely monitored and evaluated over the course of the year. Following the noncurrent multiple baseline design, in succession across 8 child participants in 4 classes, 2 Phase 1 participants in a class will begin receiving SISI while other children remain in the baseline for 3 to 9 weeks.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Lead Sponsor

Trials

93

Recruited

19,500+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A training program effectively taught manual sign language skills to various staff members (including paraprofessionals, habilitation specialists, and nurses) in three studies, ensuring they could communicate with severely and profoundly mentally retarded individuals.

The staff not only learned the signs quickly but also maintained their skills over time and incorporated them into daily interactions, highlighting the importance of training caregivers for functional communication in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A rapid training procedure for teaching manual sign language skills to multidisciplinary institutional staff. Fitzgerald, JR., Reid, DH., Schepis, MM., et al.[2019]

Younger deaf signing children (aged 4-7) showed more frequent omissions of signs compared to older children (aged 8-12) and deaf signing adults, indicating that age impacts the mastery of Italian Sign Language (LIS).

The study found that non-manual components (like facial expressions) used alongside manual signs are particularly challenging for younger children to learn, highlighting specific areas where linguistic skills develop more slowly.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sign Language Skills Assessed Through a Sentence Reproduction Task. Rinaldi, P., Caselli, MC., Lucioli, T., et al.[2019]

A 66-week sign language training program for a brain-damaged, aphasic patient resulted in the learning of 14 signs, demonstrating the potential for communication improvement in such patients.

Inclusion of a peer during training significantly enhanced the patient's performance and socialization, leading to increased eye contact, gestures, and attempted speech, with retention of skills observed even months after the program ended.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Peer-facilitated sign language training for a geriatric stroke victim with chronic brain damage. Wisocki, PA., Mosher, PM.[2015]

Citations

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A rapid training procedure for teaching manual sign language skills to multidisciplinary institutional staff. [2019]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Teaching severely retarded persons to sign interactively through the use of a behavioral script. [2019]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Peer-facilitated sign language training for a geriatric stroke victim with chronic brain damage. [2015]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Novel word acquisition in children with Down syndrome: does modality make a difference? [2019]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sign Language Skills Assessed Through a Sentence Reproduction Task. [2019]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using Gesture To Identify and Address Early Concerns About Language and Pragmatics. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of delayed physical prompts and reinforcement on infant sign language acquisition. [2019]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Gestural communication in deaf children: the effects and noneffects of parental input on early language development. [2004]