Down Syndrome Speech Intelligibility Diagnostic Treatment Study
Condition: Down Syndrome
MeSH terms: Down Syndrome; Syndrome
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This Down Syndrome (DS) speech intelligibility diagnostic treatment study is a pilot clinical
      intervention study assessing the efficacy of a speech treatment approach for male
      participants with DS between the ages of 7-16 years.
    

Detailed description: 
      This Down Syndrome (DS) speech intelligibility diagnostic treatment study is a pilot clinical
      intervention study assessing the efficacy of an integrative speech treatment approach for
      individuals with DS. DS is a common genetic disorder that causes lifelong intellectual
      disability where speech intelligibility is typically compromised affecting quality of life.
      The clinical management of communication disorders in individuals with DS is a priority for
      NIH's National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorder. The proposed treatment
      addresses the void in speech intervention and is based on our Vocal Tract Development
      Laboratory's (VTLab) research findings on anatomic, acoustic and perceptual studies from
      speakers with DS. Having identified specific difficulties in the production and perception of
      select vowels, this treatment focuses on accurate vowel production, while combining and
      adapting two established speech treatment approaches on articulatory accuracy and motor
      learning. The articulatory treatment uses the cycles phonological approach and the motor
      learning treatment is script training.

      Findings from this clinical intervention study are expected to pave the path towards optimal
      management of speech intelligibility in speakers with DS. The current pilot study is open to
      males based on findings from our lab's research that males are less intelligible than their
      female peers. The investigators also expect findings to provide the preliminary data needed
      to bridge the gap towards an exploratory clinical research proposal on functional anatomy as
      an intervention strategy for both males and females.
    

Intervention name(s): Speech therapy addressing phonology and motor learning
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Determine the efficacy of a newly devised intensive speech treatment plan (DS-DxTx) focusing on vowels that combines efficacious treatment approaches to use with individuals with Down syndrome. The phonological speech intervention, Phonological Cycles approach, is designed for use with children with highly unintelligible speech and the speech motor learning intervention, Script training is a functional treatment to promote phrase level productions. Both approaches are documented to be efficacious with other speech disorders. The proposed approach takes into account the multiple deficits commonly present in individuals with DS, and based on the acoustic and perceptual finding on vowels from our VTLab. Acoustic and perceptual measures will be used to assess treatment efficacy.
Other intervention name(s): Speech motor learning
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: Multiple single subject baseline design
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Speech intelligibility