Rhythmic Reading Training: Comparing the Rhythmic and Visual Contributions to Reading Improvement

Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT): Comparing the Rhythmic and Visual Contributions to Reading Improvement in Developmental Dyslexia

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the specific effect of the sub-components of the reading training program Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT) on reading speed and accuracy in a sample of Italian students with developmental dyslexia (DD). More precisely, in order to better understand the neuropsychological mechanisms involved in reading improvements following RRT, the specific contribution of the visual component of the training (presence of a visual cue) will be investigated in a study with between-groups design.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Developmental Dyslexia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: RRT rhythm only; Behavioral: RRT rhythm + visual cue

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Alice Cancer, PhD; Phone Number: 0272342282; Email: alice.cancer@unicatt.it

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Milan, Italy, 20123
    • Recruiting
    • Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 15 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• having been diagnosed with DD (ICD-10 code: F81.0) on the basis of standard inclusion and exclusion criteria (ICD-10: World Health Organization, 1992) and of the diagnosis procedure followed in the Italian practice

Exclusion Criteria:

• presence of comorbidity with other neuropsychiatric or psychopathological conditions
• having been involved in previous reading intervention programs in the previous 3 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: No intervention; 5 weeks no intervention period
Experimental: RRT rhythm only; 10 RRT rhythm only sessions of 60 minutes, twice a week under the supervision of a trainer	Behavioral: RRT rhythm only; RRT is a child-friendly computerized reading training program designed for Italian students with DD aged 8-14 yrs. The main feature of this intervention is the integration of a traditional remediation approach (sublexical treatment) with rhythm processing. Therefore, all reading exercises are characterized by a rhythmic accompaniment with gradually increasing speed. In this condition, the RRT activities comprise only a rhythm accompaniment and no visual cue.
Experimental: RRT rhythm + visual cue; 10 RRT rhythm + visual cue sessions of 60 minutes, twice a week under the supervision of a trainer	Behavioral: RRT rhythm + visual cue; RRT is a child-friendly computerized reading training program designed for Italian students with DD aged 8-14 yrs. The main feature of this intervention is the integration of a traditional remediation approach (sublexical treatment) with rhythm processing. Therefore, all reading exercises are characterized by a rhythmic accompaniment with gradually increasing speed. In this condition, the rhythmic accompaniment is synchronize with a visual cue (the verbal stimuli are highlighted using a red font in synchrony with the rhythm).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Word reading speed - DDE-2	Word reading speed in syllable / second	5 weeks
Word reading accuracy - DDE-2	Word reading accuracy in n. of errors	5 weeks
Word reading speed - DDE-2	Word reading speed in syllable / second	3 months
Word reading accuracy - DDE-2	Word reading accuracy in n. of errors	3 months
Pseudo-word reading speed - DDE-2	Pseudo-word reading speed in syllable / second	5 weeks
Pseudo-word reading accuracy - DDE-2	Pseudo-word reading accuracy in n. of errors	5 weeks
Pseudo-word reading speed - DDE-2	Pseudo-word reading speed in syllable / second	3 months
Pseudo-word reading accuracy - DDE-2	Pseudo-word reading accuracy in n. of errors	3 months
Text reading speed - MT-3-Clinica Battery	Text reading speed in syllable / second	5 weeks
Text reading accuracy - MT-3-Clinica Battery	Text reading accuracy in n. of errors	5 weeks
Text reading speed - MT-3-Clinica Battery	Text reading speed in syllable / second	3 months
Text reading accuracy - MT-3-Clinica Battery	Text reading accuracy in n. of errors	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Digit span (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV, WISC-IV)	Forward and backward digit span	5 weeks
Digit span (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV, WISC-IV)	Forward and backward digit span	3 months
Phonemic awareness task (Judica et al., in press)	N. of errors in phonemic blending + n. of errors in phonemic elision	5 weeks
Phonemic awareness task (Judica et al., in press)	N. of errors in phonemic blending + n. of errors in phonemic elision	3 months
Rapid Automatized naming task - RAN (De Luca et al., 2005)	RAN speed in seconds	5 weeks
Rapid Automatized naming task - RAN (De Luca et al., 2005)	RAN speed in seconds	3 months
Selective Auditory attention task - NEPSY-II	N. of errors	5 weeks
Selective Auditory attention task - NEPSY-II	N. of errors	3 months
Rhythm reproduction task	n. of correctly reproduced rhythmic patterns	5 weeks
Rhythm reproduction task	n. of correctly reproduced rhythmic patterns	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
• Collaborators: Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta; ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco; Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, Como, Italy

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 9, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 27, 2021
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 30, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): August 9, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 9, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 30, 2021
• Last Verified: July 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Learning Disabilities; Dyslexia
• Other Study ID Numbers: RRT-VISUALCUE

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No