Developmental Pilot of Support Groups for Caregivers of Children With DLD

The purpose of this study is to test a new support group curriculum that we designed to support parents of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Developmental Language Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Support Groups

Detailed Description

After completing the informed consent process and eligibility has been verified, participants will complete parenting questionnaires. They will then be asked to attend 8-10 weekly support group meetings with other participants. Support group meetings are held remotely. After each meeting, participants will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire to learn about their experiences. After the final support group meeting, participants will be asked to complete the same parenting questionnaires as at study initiation. Participants will also be asked to complete a focus group with other support group attendees to share about their experiences in the group.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 15
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Delaware
    • Newark, Delaware, United States, 19713
      • University of Delaware

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Caregiver of an elementary aged (5-12 year old) child with a lab-confirmed diagnosis of DLD

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not able to participate via teletherapy in a support group delivered in English.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Developmental Pilot for Support Groups; Participants will join a teletherapy delivered support group for caregivers of children with DLD. They will attend 8-10 weekly support group meetings and provide feedback on the meeting content and format so that we can revise the materials and evaluate early efficacy prior to a larger in person pilot.	Behavioral: Support Groups; A manualized support group for families who care for a child with developmental language disorder (DLD)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Qualitative interviews with participants	Focus group and/or one-on-one interviews with support group participants	up to 2 weeks after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Survey on Knowledge Seeking Behaviors	We will use a survey developed by Darefsky (2022, adapted from (Al-Daihani & Al-Ateeqi, 2015). The survey consists of 9 total questions, of which there are two yes/no items, two multiple choice items, and four Likert scale items. This measure is not scored in a way that results in minimum or maximum scores, or outcomes. This measure is used to collect descriptive information about types and sources of information that caregivers desire in relation to their child's diagnosis.	up to 4 weeks before and 2 weeks after intervention
Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale	The Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale (CAPES; Morawska & Sanders, 2010) includes 50 Likert scale items This yields two measurements: one for Child Emotional and Behavioral Problems and one for Parent Efficacy. Child Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Minimum score = 0; Maximum score = 81. Higher scores indicate greater levels of child problems. Parent Efficacy: Minimum score = 19; Maximum score = 190 Higher scores indicate greater levels of parent self-efficacy.	up to 4 weeks before and 2 weeks after intervention
Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition Short Form	The Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI-4-SF; Abidin, 2012)includes 36 items. Minimum score = 36; Maximum score = 180. Higher scores indicate higher parent stress levels.	up to 4 weeks before and 2 weeks after intervention
Family Support Scale	The Family Support Scale (FSS; Dunst, et al., 1984)includes 18 Likert scale items. Minimum score = 0 Maximum score = 95 Higher scores indicate more family support.	up to 4 weeks before and 2 weeks after intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weekly Support Group Attendance	We track individual attendance at each support group meeting. Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 8. The maximum score indicates full participation in all meetings.	throughout intervention, up to 8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Delaware
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Amanda Van Horne, PhD, University of Delaware

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 12, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 10, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 10, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Implementation Science; Peer Support; Developmental Language Disorder; Support Groups; EPIS
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Communication Disorders; Language Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Language Development Disorders; Organizations; Health Care Economics and Organizations; Self-Help Groups
• Other Study ID Numbers: R21DC022878 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) data repositories and data management standards apply here. In all cases, we offer participants the chance to opt out of data sharing. The following applies to those who agree to data sharing. For focus groups and participant interviews which cannot be fully de-identified, we will share redacted transcripts with individuals with an IRB with access managed by ICPSR. For pre/post measures and daily surveys of participation, we will share de-identified data sets.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Deidentified IPD data will be shared 1 year after the study is completed or when the grant ends, which ever is first and will be available in perpetuity on clinical trials.gov. Focus group and structured interviews will be deposited in ICPSR at that time.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: To access data from ICPSR, users must present an approved IRB that justifies access consistent with participant's initial consent process and honors participant privacy and confidentiality.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No