Tutorial: Speech Motor Chaining Treatment for School-Age Children With Speech Sound Disorders.
Jonathan L Preston, Megan C Leece, Jaclyn Storto
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31051085Actively Recruiting
Phase 1
Phase 2
Age: 9Years - 17Years
All Genders
ID05929859
Intensive Speech Motor Chaining Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorders
Led by Syracuse University · Updated on 2026-01-13
84
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 compare two treatment schedules for children aged 9 to 17 with residual speech sound disorders, specifically targeting difficulties producing the /ɹ/ and /s/ sounds. The study focuses on how different treatment intensities affect speech sound learning in these children, who may face social, academic, and vocational challenges due to their speech difficulties. The trial evaluates theoretically motivated, motor-based treatments to find the most effective approach despite practical challenges. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: an Intensive treatment schedule or a Distributed treatment schedule. The Intensive group receives Speech Motor Chaining therapy with 8 sessions in the first week, followed by fewer sessions over the next three weeks, totaling 16 hours in 4 weeks. The Distributed group receives the same total treatment hours spread over 8 weeks with two sessions per week. Treatment sessions use a web-based software to guide practice and feedback, focusing on eliciting and improving target speech sounds using motor learning principles. During the study, children's speech will be assessed for accuracy before treatment and 10 weeks later by blinded listeners. Other measures include the proportion of responders and a survey on the speech disorder's impact on social, emotional, and academic well-being. The study involves scheduled sessions, hearing screenings, language comprehension tests, and speech tasks to monitor progress. Participation lasts through treatment and follow-up assessments to evaluate outcomes and treatment effects.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Intensive Speech Motor Chaining Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorders
Who Can Participate
Age: 9Years - 17Years
All Genders
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Must speak American English as a dominant language.
- Must have begun learning English by at least age 3 years.
- Must be between 9 and 17 years of age.
- Must have reported difficulty with /ɹ/ and/or /s/ production.
- Must pass pure tone hearing screening at 25 dB at 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz.
- Must receive a scaled score of at least 5 on the Listening Comprehension and Story Retelling subtests of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS).
- Must receive a percentile score of 5 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 demonstrate no childhood apraxia of speech features in both articulatory and rate/prosody domains of the ProCAD.
- Must score <40% accurate on /ɹ/ and/or /s/ probes at the word level.
- Must express a desire to modify their speech.
You will not qualify if you...
- Must have no known history of autism spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, permanent hearing loss, or brain injury.
- Must not have current cleft palate or voice disorder.
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Your Study Journey
Screening
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Outpatient Treatment
Duration - 4 to 8 weeks depending on treatment schedule
Participants receive Speech Motor Chaining treatment delivered either intensively or distributed over several weeks to improve speech sound production.
Multiple sessions: either 8 sessions in Week 1 plus additional sessions over 3 weeks, or twice weekly visits for 8 weeks
Follow-up
Duration - Assessment at 10 weeks post treatment initiation
Participants return for assessments of speech sound production and survey evaluations approximately 10 weeks after the start of treatment.
1 follow-up visit (in-person)
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York, United States, 13244
Actively Recruiting
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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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