Accelerating Word Learning in Children With Language Impairment
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 5 - 6 |
| Updated: | 5/17/2018 |
| Start Date: | March 2013 |
| End Date: | February 2019 |
| Contact: | Holly Storkel |
| Email: | hstorkel@ku.edu |
| Phone: | 785-864-0497 |
Interactive Book Reading to Accelerate Word Learning by Children With SLI
This research attempts to adapt and optimize a word learning treatment, specifically
interactive book reading, for use with Kindergarten children with Specific Language
Impairment (SLI). Children with SLI have difficulty learning language without any obvious
cause for this difficulty. Two treatment studies will be conducted to determine (1) the
number of times children with SLI need to hear new words during book reading to learn the new
words; (2) the best way to provide the target number of exposures to new words during book
reading. For example, is it better to hear the new words many times within the book and to
read the book few times, or is it better to hear the new words a few times within the book
and to read the book many times. The investigators hypothesize that children with SLI will
need to hear new words 2 to 3 times as often as children with normal language to learn the
words and that reading the books many times will be more effective than repeating the words
many times within a book.
interactive book reading, for use with Kindergarten children with Specific Language
Impairment (SLI). Children with SLI have difficulty learning language without any obvious
cause for this difficulty. Two treatment studies will be conducted to determine (1) the
number of times children with SLI need to hear new words during book reading to learn the new
words; (2) the best way to provide the target number of exposures to new words during book
reading. For example, is it better to hear the new words many times within the book and to
read the book few times, or is it better to hear the new words a few times within the book
and to read the book many times. The investigators hypothesize that children with SLI will
need to hear new words 2 to 3 times as often as children with normal language to learn the
words and that reading the books many times will be more effective than repeating the words
many times within a book.
Specific Language Impairment (SLI) affects approximately 7.4% of Kindergarten children.
Children with SLI are known to have difficulty learning new words, which places them at
greater risk for future reading impairments and academic failure. Surprisingly, there are few
interventions for word learning by children with SLI that have undergone rigorous efficacy
and/or effectiveness testing. The goal of this research is to optimize an interactive book
reading intervention that has proven to be successful in teaching vocabulary to other groups
of Kindergarten children.
This preliminary clinical trial consists of two studies. The first study attempts to identify
an adequate intensity of the interactive book reading treatment for children with SLI. Here,
words are randomized to a treatment or no treatment (i.e., test only) condition and children
are randomized to different intensities of the treatment. Specifically, children will hear
the treated words either 12, 24, 36, or 48 times during treatment. The second study further
tests the adequate intensity by comparing two versions of the treatment within the adequate
intensity. Each child will receive two treatments at the identified adequate intensity.
Children will be randomized to two treatments. One treatment will be balanced between the
amount of times the new word is heard within the book and the amount of times the book is
read. The second treatment will be more heavily weighted for either repetitions within the
book or the amount of times the book is read. This study will examine how much children with
different language skills benefit from the adequate intensity. In addition, this study will
examine how best to achieve the adequate intensity. Specifically, is it better to hear the
word more often in the session or to read the book more times or to have a balance of both?
In the treatment condition, words are randomized to more repetitions in the session or to
more repetitions of reading the same book.
At the conclusion of this research, an adequate intensity and manner of achieving this
intensity of interactive book reading will have been identified for children with SLI.
Moreover, a better understanding of the types of outcomes that can be attained through
changing intensity and changing the manner of achieving intensity will be gained for this
treatment and this group of children. This will inform future research on this treatment by
determining whether a larger study can be initiated or whether the treatment needs further
refinement to be effective for children with SLI.
Children with SLI are known to have difficulty learning new words, which places them at
greater risk for future reading impairments and academic failure. Surprisingly, there are few
interventions for word learning by children with SLI that have undergone rigorous efficacy
and/or effectiveness testing. The goal of this research is to optimize an interactive book
reading intervention that has proven to be successful in teaching vocabulary to other groups
of Kindergarten children.
This preliminary clinical trial consists of two studies. The first study attempts to identify
an adequate intensity of the interactive book reading treatment for children with SLI. Here,
words are randomized to a treatment or no treatment (i.e., test only) condition and children
are randomized to different intensities of the treatment. Specifically, children will hear
the treated words either 12, 24, 36, or 48 times during treatment. The second study further
tests the adequate intensity by comparing two versions of the treatment within the adequate
intensity. Each child will receive two treatments at the identified adequate intensity.
Children will be randomized to two treatments. One treatment will be balanced between the
amount of times the new word is heard within the book and the amount of times the book is
read. The second treatment will be more heavily weighted for either repetitions within the
book or the amount of times the book is read. This study will examine how much children with
different language skills benefit from the adequate intensity. In addition, this study will
examine how best to achieve the adequate intensity. Specifically, is it better to hear the
word more often in the session or to read the book more times or to have a balance of both?
In the treatment condition, words are randomized to more repetitions in the session or to
more repetitions of reading the same book.
At the conclusion of this research, an adequate intensity and manner of achieving this
intensity of interactive book reading will have been identified for children with SLI.
Moreover, a better understanding of the types of outcomes that can be attained through
changing intensity and changing the manner of achieving intensity will be gained for this
treatment and this group of children. This will inform future research on this treatment by
determining whether a larger study can be initiated or whether the treatment needs further
refinement to be effective for children with SLI.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Eligible for Kindergarten enrollment
- Age 5 to 6 years
- Normal hearing
- Nonverbal Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 85 or higher on the Reynolds Intellectual
Assessment Scale
- Score below 82 on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals
- Score at or below the 10% percentile on one of the approved standardized vocabulary
assessments.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Speaks more than one language
- Health history indicating neurologic or other disorder that would exclude a diagnosis
of SLI (e.g., autism, developmental disability, seizure disorder)
We found this trial at
1
site
1301 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
Principal Investigator: Holly Storkel
Phone: 785-864-0497
Click here to add this to my saved trials
