Handheld Technology for Speech Development in Students With Autism

January 28, 2013 updated by: Frederick Shic, Yale University

Handheld Technology for Speech Development in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)

The proposed study will result in a software application compatible with the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch (hereafter termed "iOS devices") which addresses several aspects of prosodic deficits common in speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and other communication disorders, using a developmentally appropriate, intuitive interface that requires little technical skill and which can be managed by educators and parents. The program will contain elements that aid in tracking and maintaining individual student progress records, and will be designed for use in the classroom, at home, and in other environments. This study's intended focus is on the feasibility and usability of the software application.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06510
        • Yale Child Study Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

4 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • SLPs, in Connecticut Public Schools, who provide intervention to students with autism spectrum disorders.
  • Students, ages 4 - 19, who attend school in Connecticut and demonstrate prosodic difficulties secondary to a diagnosis of ASD.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Students with concommitant genetic disorders

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: iPad software
Student participants will use specialized, iPad software under the direction of the SLP, 1 time a week over the course of 2 months.
A specialized iPad application, entitled SpeechPrompts, has been developed to treat prosodic difficulties commonly seen in ASDs. SpeechPrompts provides the SLPs that work with students with ASDs an additional tool to treat prosody. The SpeechPrompts software offers visual support and biofeedback to change prosody. These two tools are not typically available for school-based SLPs.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Learning of software
Time Frame: 3 months

Assessment of Outcome:

Each speech-language pathologist (SLP) will complete a software training then take a post-training online assessment measuring software competency.

3 months
Usability of software
Time Frame: 3 months

Assessment of Outcome:

SLPs will complete satisfaction surveys and attend a focus group to obtain information regarding software usability.

3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Student engagement in treatment
Time Frame: 3 months

Assessment of Outcome:

SLPs will rate the student's engagement using a rating scale after each treatment session with the iPad and software.

3 months
Software effectiveness
Time Frame: 3 months

Assessment of Outcome:

SLPs will rate student participants' prosody before and after iPad treatment using a specialized rubric to measure changes in speech production.

3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Frederick Shic, Ph.D., Yale University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 28, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 28, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

January 30, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 30, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 28, 2013

Last Verified

January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1208010627
  • ED-IES-12-R-0007 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Department of Education)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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