The Effect of Semantic Support on Word Learning
Purpose
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare word learning outcomes in late talking toddlers who are taught different types of words. The main question it aims to answer is if teaching words that come from categories that children already know (e.g., animals) will aid overall word learning. Children will take part in the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) word learning treatment and be taught words from more familiar or less familiar categories to see which group learns more words overall.
Condition
- Language Development Disorders
Eligibility
- Eligible Ages
- Between 2 Years and 4 Years
- Eligible Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- Native English Speaking - Pass pure tone hearing screening or medical report of normal hearing - 2-3 Years of age - MCDI expressive scale <10th percentile
Exclusion Criteria
- Parental report of other diagnoses - Enrolled in concurrent treatment elsewhere - Nonverbal IQ <75 as measured by the Bayley scales - Parents unable to consistently bring child to treatment sessions
Study Design
- Phase
- N/A
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel Assignment
- Intervention Model Description
- Using treatment effect sizes, children will be compared to themselves (treatment words v. control words) and across groups (familiar word group v. less-familiar word group).
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Care Provider)
- Masking Description
- The late talkers and their caregivers will not explicitly be told what condition their child is in.
Arm Groups
| Arm | Description | Assigned Intervention |
|---|---|---|
|
Experimental Familiar Words |
In this condition, children will learn new words that come from semantic categories (e.g., animals, body parts) from which they currently understand at least several words. |
|
|
Active Comparator Less-Familiar Words |
In this condition, children will learn new words that come from semantic categories (e.g., animals, body parts) from which they currently understand few or no words. |
|
Recruiting Locations
Tucson, Arizona 85721
More Details
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- University of Arizona
Detailed Description
Children will be assigned to either the familiar or less-familiar word group. All children will receive 8 weeks of Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) word learning treatment (2x/wk for 30 minutes each session). The investigators will measure how well children learn the words they are taught as well as the words that are in the environment, but not explicitly taught (control words). This will help us know if their learning is due to treatment or maturation. The investigators will compare children to themselves (taught words v. control words) to ensure that the overall treatment is working. Then, the investigators will compare children in the familiar word group to children in the less-familiar word group to see which group learns more overall.