Improving speech learning in elementary school children with speech sound disorders

Academic Progress in Phonological Learning for Elementary School children with speech sound disorders (APPLES)

NIH-funded research Florida State University · NIH-11049046

This study is looking at how different ways of doing speech therapy can help kids who have trouble saying sounds correctly, so they can improve their speech and even do better in reading and spelling.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionFlorida State University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Tallahassee, United States)
Project IDNIH-11049046 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research focuses on children with speech sound disorders (SSD) who struggle with producing speech sounds correctly. It aims to explore how different aspects of speech therapy, such as group settings and session frequency, can enhance the effectiveness of treatment. By examining the relationship between therapy environment features and speech improvement, the study seeks to identify the best practices for helping children overcome their speech challenges. The findings could inform speech-language pathologists on how to optimize therapy for better outcomes in reading and spelling as well.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are elementary school children aged 0-11 years who have been diagnosed with speech sound disorders.

Not a fit: Children who do not have speech sound disorders or are older than 11 years may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective speech therapy practices that improve communication skills and academic performance in children with speech sound disorders.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown that targeted speech therapy can significantly improve speech production, indicating that exploring therapy environment factors may also yield beneficial results.

Where this research is happening

Tallahassee, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.