iPad Application to Treat Prosodic Deficits in Students With Communication Disorders

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Communication Disorders; Autism
• Interventions: Behavioral: iPad Application

• Registration Number: NCT01917864
• Lead Sponsor: Yale University

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2013-07
• Study First Submitted: 2013-08-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-08-05
• Study First Posted: 2013-08-07
• Primary Completion: 2016-05
• Study Completion: 2016-05
• Status Verified: 2016-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-06-13
• Last Update Posted: 2016-06-14

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

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

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Exclusion Criteria

• Students with concomitant genetic disorders

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
iPad Application	iPad Application	Student participants will use specialized iPad software under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist over the course of 12 months, approximately one session per week, one hour per session.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Effectiveness of software	12 months	The effectiveness of the software will be measured in two ways.; 1. 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.; 2. 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 Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Student engagement in treatment	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.
Usability of software	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.
Improvement in peer acceptance	12 months	Changes in peer acceptance will be evaluated using two different methodologies.; 1. Classroom teacher questionnaire. Each student's classroom teacher will complete a questionnaire pre- and post-treatment measuring the student's interaction with classroom peers.; 2. 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.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Yale Child Study Center; 🇺🇸 New Haven, Connecticut, United States