A Multisensory Music Intervention for Children With Reading Disorders (RitMoZ)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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With this study, we wish to test how effective/ beneficial music activities can be for children with dyslexia.

Detailed Description
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Studies have shown that music in the form of training (i.e., intervention) is able to facilitate linguistic processes (e.g., phonological encoding/decoding, categorical perception) and cognitive functions (e.g., working memory) in children that have dyslexia or reading difficulties. In addition to this, music trainings with a focus on entrainment can improve phonological as well as reading skills. In line with the above, we have designed and developed a music training programme. This programme, which is called RitMoZ Training (i.e., from Ritmus és Mozgás és Zene: meaning Rhythm and Movement and Music in Hungarian language), is designed for (Hungarian) children who have dyslexia or reading difficulties. In order to assess the efficacy of the music training, we are going to conduct a randomized controlled trial which consists of a pre-training phase, a training phase and a post-training phase.

Official Title
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RitMoZ Training: A Randomized Control Trial Study to Assess a Multisensory Music Intervention for Children With Reading Disorders in Hungary

Conditions
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Reading Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Music Training (RitMoZ Training)
* Behavioral: Spelling Training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: diagnosis of reading disorder Hungarian as native language Exclusion Criteria: comorbidities (e.g., Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)) sensory impairment (e.g., hearing loss, low vision) cognitive impairment (e.g., panic disorder, low IQ)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 8 Years
Maximum Age: 12 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Music Training (RitMoZ Training)<br>12 sessions spread in the course of 1.5 months: each session has a duration of 90 minutes; each week will have 2 sessions | Behavioral: Music Training (RitMoZ Training)<br>* This training is inspired by intervention concepts followed in SUVAG Polyclinic in Zagreb, Croatia and Kodaly pedagogy in Hungary. RitMoZ Training programme consists of 6 main activities: matching activity, nursery rhymes, rhythmic stimulations, music shapes, music writing and music reading. The training focuses on the perceptual overlap between language and music, embodiment and entrainment. The aim of the training is to improve characteristic features of reading disorders such as phonological awareness, perception of rhythm, phonological working memory and perception of speech sounds.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Spelling Training<br>12 sessions spread in the course of 1.5 months: each session has a duration of 90 minutes; each week will have 2 sessions | Behavioral: Spelling Training<br>* This training consists of activities which focus on practicing spelling words in a computer task; the aim is to train orthographic processing which is suggested to improve phonological awareness and phonological working memory.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reading test | For the assessment of the ability to read aloud series of high frequency words, low frequency words and pseudowords, is applied from the shortened 3DM-H (Differential Diagnostics of Dyslexia Maastricht - Hungarian adaptation). With this test, reading speed, fluency and accuracy and pseudoword accuracy are measured. | 4 minutes | 
| Spelling test | For the assessment of spelling, the present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H. Both spelling accuracy and reaction time are measured. | 4-7 minutes | 
| Phoneme deletion test | For the assessment of phoneme deletion, the present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H. Both accuracy and reaction time are measured. | 3-7 minutes | 
| Letter-sound identification test | For the assessment of letter-sound identification, the present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H. Both accuracy and reaction time are measured. | 2-3 minutes | 
| Letter-sound discrimination test | For the assessment of letter-sound discrimination, the present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H. Both accuracy and reaction time are measured. | 2 - 4 minutes | 
| Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) test | To assess rapid naming of letters, digits and objects, the present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H. Here, the processing speed is measured. | 3-5 minutes | 
| Choice reaction time test | The present subtest is applied from the shortened version of the 3DM-H; here, the reaction time is measured. | 1 - 2 minutes | 
| Lexical decision task | To assess lexical decision, the present test is applied. Here, accuracy is measured. | 12- 15 minutes | 
| Auditory discrimination of acoustic and phonetic alteration of pseudowords | This is an Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) task where a speech multifeature paradigm is applied. In the current task, the amplitudes of the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) responses - which are elicited in certain time windows - are measured in every condition. | 20 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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reading disorders, music intervention, rhythmic stimulations, phonological processing, Event-Related Brain Potentials