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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01917864

iPad Application to Treat Prosodic Deficits in Students With Communication Disorders

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of a specialized iPad application designed to treat difficulties with intonation (e.g., melody in voice) in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other communication disorders.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Communication Disorders Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurodevelopmental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

4 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Yale Child Study Center

New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • SLPs, in Connecticut Public Schools, who provide intervention to students with autism spectrum disorders and related disorders
  • Students, ages 4-18, who attend school in Connecticut and demonstrate prosodic difficulties secondary to a diagnosis of ASD, apraxia of speech, or other communication disorder

Exclusion criteria

  • Students with concomitant genetic disorders

Treatment and study plan

iPad Application

Behavioral

A specialized iPad application, entitled SpeechPrompts, has been developed to treat prosodic difficulties commonly seen in ASDs. SpeechPrompts provides the SLPs that work with students with ASDs an additional tool to treat prosody. The SpeechPrompts software offers visual support and biofeedback to change prosody. These two tools are not typically available for school-based SLPs.

Primary outcomes

  1. Effectiveness of software

    Time frame: 12 months

    The effectiveness of the software will be measured in two ways.

    • Perceptual ratings of prosody. Pre- and post-treatment speech samples will be collected from each student participant. These samples will be rated by a member of the research staff on the following prosodic characteristics: rate, rhythm, stress, volume.
    • Questionnaires. Questionnaires will be completed pre- and post-treatment by the students' classroom teacher and speech-language pathologist. These questionnaires will measure the students' use and generalization of skills taught during the intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Usability of software

    Time frame: 12 months

    Usability of software will be measured through questionnaires completed by the speech-language pathologists. Questionnaires will measure ease of software use, utility of software functions, and student engagement during intervention sessions.

  2. Student engagement in treatment

    Time frame: 12 months

    Student engagement will be evaluated indirectly by rating scales completed by the speech-language pathologist. Likert scales will be used to quantify student engagement on the following parameters: time engaged in on-task behavior, time engaged in off-task behavior, perceived enjoyment of software.

  3. Improvement in peer acceptance

    Time frame: 12 months

    Changes in peer acceptance will be evaluated using two different methodologies.

    • Classroom teacher questionnaire. Each student's classroom teacher will complete a questionnaire pre- and post-treatment measuring the student's interaction with classroom peers.
    • Semi-structured observation. A member of the research staff will observe each student pre- and post-treatment and complete frequency tallies on the number of peer interactions initiated during a 15-minute semi-structured activity.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Yale University

Other

Collaborators

  • Handhold Adaptive

Registry information

Official study title

Handheld Technology for Speech Development in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Aug 7, 2013
Registry last updated
Jun 14, 2016

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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