Vocabulary Intervention for Late Talkers
- Conditions
- Language DelayLanguage Development Disorders
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Shape training interventionBehavioral: Specific word training
- Registration Number
- NCT03379818
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Birmingham
- Brief Summary
Most studies regarding word learning have focused on understanding when and how infants learn words. At 24 months, typically developing infants know between 200 and 300 words and add new words to their vocabularies at a rapid rate. It is also during the first years of life that some principles that promote vocabulary learning are developed. The shape bias, which is a tendency to infer that objects that share the same shape will also share the same name, is the one that has been studied the most. At 24 months, typically developing infants use this principle as a strategy to learn novel words. In contrast, Late Talkers (children with a language delay in the absence of a physiological, cognitive or genetic disorder that may account for this delay) do not exhibit this preference. It has been found that teaching typically developing infants a shape bias prior to the end of the second year of life can boosts their word learning. Despite this, the possibility of teaching Late Talkers this principle and its effect on their vocabulary and language development has not been explored.
Over a series of 9 weekly sessions, Late Talkers (diagnosed by Language Therapists from the Birmingham Community Healthcare National Health Services Foundation Trust, United Kingdom) will be introduced to one of two possible interventions: a shape bias intervention and a more conventional intervention called "specific word intervention". Both interventions will be compared after 9 weeks. One year later, a follow up study will be conducted to assess the long-term effects each intervention has in word learning. Participants will be referred by a Speech and Language Therapists from the Birmingham Community Healthcare National Health Services Foundation Trust, United Kingdom, and all assessments and interventions will take place at the Infant and Child Lab at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
- Detailed Description
The objectives of the present study are:
A. To investigate whether it is possible to teach Late Talkers to attend to objects' shapes as a useful property for learning and generalizing novel object labels.
B. To assess the benefits that this intervention programme has on Late Talkers' short-term vocabulary development compared to an intervention where infants will be taught specific words ('specific word' intervention).
C. Assess whether the success of teaching Late Talkers a shape bias for noun extension is related to their sensitivity to object shape similarities.
D. Assess whether the success of teaching Late Talkers a shape bias for noun extension is related to their ability of sustain their attention to novel objects that are presented to them.
E. To assess the benefits of the intervention programme on language and cognitive development one year after the intervention compared to the 'specific word' intervention
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 30
- Children (boys and girls) between 24 and 48 months.
- Children from Birmingham (United Kingdom) and its surrounding areas.
- Monolingual English native speakers
- Children with a moderate or severe language delay, as diagnosed by a Speech and Language Therapist of the Birmingham Community Healthcare National Health Service Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.
- Children with a developmental, physiological, neurological or cognitive disorder that could explain their language delay.
- Children with a mild language delay, as diagnosed by a Speech and Language Therapist of the Birmingham Community Healthcare National Health Service Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.
- Children that speak or know another language different than English, either as first or additional language.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Shape training intervention Shape training intervention In the shape training intervention, infants will be presented with four novel words paired with four novel sets of objects. Each set consists of two exemplars with the same shape but with different colors and textures, and a contrasting object. Each set will be presented in a play session, and the name of the objects will be mentioned at least 10 times. The other three sets of exemplars will be presented in the same way. Each session will last 15 minutes. This intervention is based on a study conducted by Smith and colleagues (2002), where they found that typically developing infants that are taught to attend to shape at 17 months old, can enhance significantly their word learning. Specific word training intervention Specific word training This training programme will be similar to a typical word learning intervention. Infants will be introduced to 28 real objects and their names (e.g. biscuit, trousers). These objects will be divided into 7 sets of four words, and during each session, infants will be presented with one of this sets. Each session will consist of a 15 min play session in which each object will be presented at least 10 times and each object name will be mentioned at least 10 times. Additionally, techniques such as focused stimulation and modelling target words, which have proved to be useful for word learning, will be used.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Percentage of Shape Choices in Two Noun Extension Tests. At week 8 after starting the interventions for known names and objects. At week 9 after starting the interventions for novel names and objects. Assessed using two noun extension tests with known and novel names and objects. The objective was to assess if participants would extend known or novel names to objects sharing the same shape. The test with known names was conducted in week 8. The test with novel names was conducted at week 9 after starting the intervention.
In each test, participants completed 8 trials. For each trial, participants were shown an object and heard its name. They were then asked to get another object that was also called the same from a set of 3 objects shown to them (one object shared the same shape, a second one shared the same colour and a third one shared the same texture). The same procedure was used on each trial but the objects and names used were different each time.
If participants learned a shape bias, they should have mainly chosen the objects that shared the same shape. Below we show the average percentage of shape choices in each group for both tests.Assessment of Number of Words Known Before and After the Interventions. Parents/guardians filled in a vocabulary checklist before (week 1) and after (week 9) the interventions. In order to assess the benefits of each intervention programme, parents/guardians filled in a vocabulary checklist before (week 1) and after (week 9) the interventions. We compared the vocabulary growth (receptive and expressive vocabulary) in the group of children that took part in the shape bias intervention programme with that of the group of children that took part in the 'specific word' intervention.
Long-term Effects of Each Intervention on Language Development. Was expected to be assessed one year after the end of the intervention programme. This was expected to be assessed with a language test. Due to closures related to the covid-19 pandemic, this assessment was not able to be conducted and the study was stopped.
Long-term Effects of Each Intervention on Visual Spatial Skills. Visual spatial skills assessed one year after the end of the intervention programme. Each child was expected to be assessed with a standardized visual spatial test. Due to closures related to the covid-19 pandemic, this assessment was not able to be conducted and the study was stopped.
Long-term Effects of Each Intervention on Working Memory. Was expected to be assessed one year after the end of the intervention programme. Each child was expected to be assessed with a memory test. Due to closures related to the covid-19 pandemic, this assessment was not able to be conducted.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Children's Sensitivity Towards Shape Similarities. Assessed in the first week of the intervention. Assessed by relating children's ability to sort objects by shape before the intervention.
Children's Attention to Novel Objects. Assessed with an attention task in the first week of the intervention. Assessed by relating children's sustained attention during the presentation of a video showing a person presenting and moving novel objects before the intervention.
Note that two participants preferred not to complete this assessment, therefore they are not included in this analysis.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Infant and Child Laboratory, University of Birmingham
🇬🇧Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom