Improving STEM Outcomes for Young Children With Language Learning Disabilities

Stopped early · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Specific Language Impairment

In brief

The sophisticated language of science can be a barrier to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning, especially for children who have specific language impairment (SLI). The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to test vocabulary and grammar interventions embedded in a small-group inquiry-based science instruction for their potential to ameliorate language deficits that impede science learning. Participants will be 54 preschoolers or kindergartners with SLI. Proximal and distal probes will reveal their mastery of taught and generalized language and science concepts.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03438760

Run by

Father Flanagan's Boys' Home

People needed

36

Starts

2017-11-03

Expected to finish

2020-08-30

Last updated by the study team

2020-09-14

Who can join

Age: 4 and older, up to 7. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age between 4 and 7 years
• Not yet begun first grade
• Speaks English as their primary language
• Has SLI confirmed by 1) a standard score of 94 or lower on the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test, 3rd edition (SPELT-III, Dawson, Stout, \& Eyer, 2003) OR below a scaled score of 7 on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variance™-Norm Referenced (DELV-NR, Seymour, Roeper, \& de Villiers, 2005) syntax subtest; AND 2) performing below age-relevant cutoffs on the Dollaghan and Campbell (1998) Nonword Repetition Task OR enrollment on a clinical caseload.
• Nonverbal matrices t score of 35 or higher on the Developmental Abilities Scale
• Passes a pure-tone audiometric screening administered according to the standards of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, 1997)
• Can produce simple sentences that contain a subject and a verb.
• Performs with less than 40% accuracy on expressive probes of complement clauses prior to study onset
• Performs with less than 40% accuracy on vocabulary definition probes prior to study onset

You may not qualify if…

• Other diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism, Down syndrome) via parent report or significant sensory or motor impairments (e.g., severe vision impairment uncorrectable by glasses)
• Exposure to a language other than English at home or school more than 20% of the time.

Where it is running

• University of Delaware — Newark, Delaware, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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