Actively Recruiting
AI-Assisted Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorders in Children with Speech Sound Disorder
Led by Syracuse University · Updated on 2026-01-08
26
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
S
Syracuse University
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
This research aims to find out how artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted home practice can improve learning the "r" sound for school-age children who have persistent speech sound disorders. The study focuses on children who have difficulty producing this sound and evaluates two different schedules of combining AI-led and human speech-language clinician-led treatments. The AI tool used is designed to detect mispronunciations and provide feedback, potentially increasing access to effective speech therapy despite clinician shortages. Participants receive a total of 5 weekly speech lessons with a human speech-language clinician via telepractice for 5 weeks. In addition, they are assigned to one of two groups: one group receives 3 AI-led speech sessions per week concurrently during the same 5 weeks as the human clinician sessions, while the other group receives the 3 AI-led sessions per week after the human clinician sessions have ended. The AI sessions are supervised by a caregiver and use a web-based software that analyzes speech accuracy and adjusts practice difficulty accordingly. During the study, participants will be assessed before treatment, after 5 weeks, and again at 10 weeks to measure changes in their accuracy producing the "r" sound in both practiced and unpracticed words. Evaluations include blinded listener ratings and surveys on social, emotional, and academic impacts. The study includes telepractice sessions, speech sound analysis, and caregiver involvement. The total study duration for participants is 10 weeks, with careful monitoring of speech improvement and retention.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
AI-Assisted Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorders
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Must speak a rhotic dialect of American English as a dominant language.
- Must have begun learning English by at least the age of 3 years.
- Must be between 9;0 to 17;11 years of age.
- Must have reported difficulty with /r/ production.
- Must have reported hearing within normal limits.
- Must receive a Scaled Score of 5 or above on both the Listening Comprehension and Story Retelling subtests from the Test of Integrated Language & Literacy Skills (TILLS).
- Must receive a percentile score of 8 or below on the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-3 (GFTA-3) Sounds in Words subtest.
- Must have 1 scorable response with 5+ consecutive correct /pataka/ with > 3.4 syllables per second in the MRR-Tri task of the Maximum Performance Tasks OR must demonstrate no childhood apraxia of speech (CAS-only) features in BOTH articulatory and rate/prosody domains of the ProCAD.
- Must score <40% accurate based on word-level items from our /r/ probe list.
- Must score >=15% accuracy on /r/ on 45 syllables following Dynamic Assessment.
- Must express interest in changing their /r/ production.
- Must have oral structure and function that are appropriate for /r/ production.
- Must have access to broadband internet with videoconferencing capabilities
You will not qualify if you...
- Must have no known history of autism spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, permanent hearing loss, epilepsy/antiepileptic medication, or brain injury/neurosurgery/stroke.
- Must not have diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette's, or Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Must have no orthodontic appliances that block the roof of the mouth (e.g., palate expanders).
- Must not have current cleft palate, fluency disorder, or voice disorder.
- Must not demonstrate childhood apraxia of speech (CAS-only) features in BOTH articulatory and rate/prosody domains of the ProCAD.
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - 5 weeks
Participants receive speech therapy sessions using either a human speech-language pathologist or an Artificial Intelligence clinician within an evidence-based motor learning framework to improve /r/ sound production.
5 weekly visits with a human clinician and up to 15 sessions with an AI clinician supervised by a caregiver, occurring 3 times per week
Duration - Up to 5 weeks after treatment ends
Participants are assessed to evaluate changes and retention in /r/ sound production and impacts on social, emotional, and academic well-being after treatment completion.
1 visit (in-person) 5 weeks after treatment
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York, United States, 13244
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
J
Jonathan Preston, PhD
N
Nina Benway, PhD
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
2
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