Study of Word Learning Through Book Reading in Children Aged 4 to 5 With and Without Developmental Language Disorder

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to explore word learning abilities in four- and five-year-old children with developmental language disorder DLD, a condition that causes lasting difficulties in language skills, affecting academic and social success. The study compares how repeated recall practice during storybook reading helps these children learn new words compared to simply hearing the words repeatedly. The focus is to see if integrating repeated retrieval into the story improves word learning more than prior methods. Children with DLD and children with typical language development will participate by learning eight new nouns embedded in illustrated stories over two consecutive days. Half of the words will be learned through repeated spaced retrieval, where children hear a word, try to recall it, and then hear it again, spaced with other words in between. The other half will be learned through repeated study, where children only hear the words without recall practice. The study tests recall shortly after learning and again one week later. Participants will be assessed on their ability to recall word forms and meanings immediately after each story session and at a one-week follow-up, along with a recognition test. Researchers will monitor language abilities, hearing, cognitive function, and autism screening to confirm eligibility. The study evaluates how well repeated retrieval during storybook reading supports long-term word learning in children with DLD and compares their performance to peers with typical language development.

Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder During Book Reading II