Strategies for Teaching Verbs

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Language Development Disorders; Down Syndrome; Child Language
• Interventions: Behavioral: Semantic cues (perform action), syntactic cues (sentence frame), or combined semantic and syntactic cues

• Registration Number: NCT03441685
• Lead Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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.

Detailed Description

Not available

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2018-02-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-02-14
• Study First Posted: 2018-02-22
• Study Start: 2018-03-21
• Primary Completion: 2021-07-02
• Study Completion: 2021-07-02
• Results First Submitted: 2022-05-07
• Status Verified: 2023-12
• Results First Submitted QC: 2023-12-27
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-12-27
• Results First Posted: 2024-06-07
• Last Update Posted: 2024-06-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 44

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

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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)

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Verb strategies	Semantic cues (perform action), syntactic cues (sentence frame), or combined semantic and syntactic cues	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.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Accuracy Identifying Taught Words - Semantic Condition	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	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	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 Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Semantic Condition	From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month	After the teaching episodes for the semantic condition participants are asked to label novel verbs expressively. Participants were asked to label each of the 4 taught words per condition one time for a total of 4 trials per condition. This "expressive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 4. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Syntactic Condition	From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month	After the teaching episodes for the syntactic condition participants are asked to label novel verbs expressively. Participants were asked to label each of the 4 taught words per condition one time for a total of 4 trials per condition. This "expressive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 4. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Accuracy Labeling Taught Words - Combined Condition	From date of initial evaluation to focused intervention session, up to 1 month	After the teaching episodes for the combined condition participants are asked to label novel verbs expressively. Participants were asked to label each of the 4 taught words per condition one time for a total of 4 trials per condition. This "expressive probe" has a minimum score of 0 and maximum of 4. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center; 🇺🇸 Nashville, Tennessee, United States