Strategies for Teaching Verbs
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 44
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Accuracy Identifying Taught Words - Semantic Condition
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This study is designed to evaluate whether children with Down syndrome and children with typical development exhibit different levels of accuracy demonstrating novel verbs taught under three conditions: semantic cues (perform action), syntactic cues (sentence frame), and combined (syntactic and semantic cues). The participants complete an eligibility evaluation and then one verb learning session (approximately 60 minutes in length). During that verb learning session they are taught sets of words under each condition (i.e., within-subjects design) and then asked to identify and label those target words immediately after instruction.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Masking Description
Participants' completion of study tasks requires knowledge of intervention condition. Participants are blinded to study hypotheses.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 3 Years to 17 Years (Child)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Must use oral communication as their primary means of communication
- •Must be monolingual English speakers
- •Behaviorally able to attend for 20 minutes
- •Children with typical development must demonstrate no more than one standard deviation below the mean on the speech and language measures
Exclusion Criteria
- •Nonverbal cognitive score less than three standard deviations below the mean (standard score of 54 below)
- •Identified hearing loss or failed hearing screening
- •Uncorrected vision impairment
- •Motor impairment that prevents completion of study activities
- •Concomitant disorders (e.g., Autism spectrum disorder)
Arms & Interventions
Verb strategies
The examiner labels each target word and performs the corresponding action six times in each condition. She elicits the target word from the participant two times per word per condition and provides feedback on accuracy each time. In the semantic cues condition, the examiner prompts the child to perform the target action twice. In the syntactic cues condition, instead of only saying the target word with the present progressive verb marker, the examiner uses two forms of complete sentences while performing the action (i.e., "I am X-ing," and "See. I X."). In the combined condition, the examiner prompts the child to perform the target action and consistently uses complete sentences.
Intervention: Semantic cues (perform action), syntactic cues (sentence frame), or combined semantic and syntactic cues (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Accuracy Identifying Taught Words - Semantic Condition
Time Frame: From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month
Participants are asked to receptively identify novel verbs taught in semantic condition by selecting the video of the named verb from a field of two. Participants were asked to identify each of the 4 taught words per condition 3 times for a total of 12 trials per condition. This "receptive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 12. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Accuracy Identifying Taught Words - Syntactic Condition
Time Frame: From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month
Participants are asked to receptively identify novel verbs taught in syntactic condition by selecting the video of the named verb from a field of two. Participants were asked to identify each of the 4 taught words per condition 3 times for a total of 12 trials per condition. This "receptive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 12. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Accuracy Identifying Taught Words - Combined Condition
Time Frame: From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month
Participants are asked to receptively identify novel verbs taught in combined condition by selecting the video of the named verb from a field of two. Participants were asked to identify each of the 4 taught words per condition 3 times for a total of 12 trials per condition. This "receptive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 12. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Secondary Outcomes
- Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Semantic Condition(From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month)
- Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Syntactic Condition(From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month)
- Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Combined Condition(From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month)
Investigators
Melanie Schuele
Associate Professor
Vanderbilt University Medical Center