Accelerating Word Learning in Children With Language Impairment
Condition: Specific Language Impairment
MeSH terms: Language Disorders; Specific Language Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      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. This study will examine the best way to achieve the appropriate
      intensity of 36 exposures. For example, is it better to hear the new words many times within
      the book (high dose) and to read the book few times (low dose frequency), or is it better to
      hear the new words a few times within the book (low dose) and to read the book many times
      (high dose frequency). The investigators hypothesize that reading the books many times will
      be more effective than repeating the words many times within a book.
    

Detailed description: 
      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. A secondary goal was to examine whether pre-treatment
      characteristics predicted how many words children would learn.

      This study further tests the adequate intensity of 36 exposures. Each child will receive two
      treatments at the identified adequate intensity. Children were randomized to two treatments:
      the standard treatment and 1 of 2 alternative treatments. The standard treatment used in
      prior research was balanced between the amount of times the new word is heard within the book
      (dose 6) and the amount of times the book is read (dose frequency 6). The alternative
      treatments were more heavily weighted for either repetitions within the book (high dose/low
      dose frequency, i.e., dose 9 x dose frequency 4) or the amount of times the book is read (low
      dose/high dose frequency, i.e., dose 4 x dose frequency 9). Ultimately, this study determines
      how best to achieve the adequate intensity of 36 exposures.

      A secondary goal was to further examine the pre-treatment factors associated with the number
      of words learned by children with SLI during interactive book reading. We once again explore
      a variety of potential predictors including those that were significant in a prior study
      (i.e., phonological awareness, nonword repetition, and semantics) as well as those that were
      not significant in a prior study but that had the potential to be related to a child's
      ability to learn during interactive book reading. That is, a child's general language
      abilities (as measured by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4, CELF-4, Core
      Language score) and their ability to understand verbally presented stories (as measured by
      the CELF-4 Understanding Spoken Paragraphs score) could impact their success in encoding new
      words during interactive book reading.
    

Intervention name(s): Treatment (interactive book reading, dialogic reading, shared book reading)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Children receive 2 rounds of treatment with interactive book reading. Each treatment teaches 30 words that the children do not know. Treatments vary in dose (the number of times the words is heard/taught in an individual book reading session: 4 vs. 6 vs. 9) and dose frequency (the number of times book reading sessions are repeated: 4 vs. 6. vs. 9). Across all dose x dose frequency combinations, children hear/are taught the 30 words 36 times, which has been shown to be the adequate overall intensity of the intervention.
Other intervention name(s): Interactive book reading; Dialogic reading; Shared book reading
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment