Early Achievements: Building Early Language and Literacy Skills for Pre-K Children

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

The team developed EA-SHELLS, a professional development program that teaches prekindergarten teachers language-based instructional strategies for inclusive classrooms. In initial phases teachers were trained, used the strategies during literacy activities, and investigators collected teacher feedback and child test data to refine the program. The final phase is a preliminary randomized controlled trial comparing classrooms led by trained teachers to those without the training, with measures of teacher implementation, self-efficacy, and children's emergent literacy outcomes. The trial will show whether the revised training increases teachers' use of evidence-based strategies and improves language-related literacy skills in pre-K children with and without developmental language disorder.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria for Teachers

* Having students in the identified age range
* Having at least one child in their classroom who receives language-focused related services, has an existing diagnosis of language delay or disorder, or meets study criteria for DLD on the research measures
* Planning to teach for the duration of the training period.

Inclusion Criteria for Students in the DLD group:

* use phrases containing a noun and a verb in most spontaneous utterances (per teacher report)
* are exposed to English \>50% of their time at home (per parent report). receive language-focused related services, have a prior diagnosis of language delay or disorder, or meet study criteria for language delay on the CELF P-3 and/or CUBED NLM.
* CELF P-3: score more than 1 standard deviation below the mean on at least one subtest
* NLM criteria: receives two Listening Retell score raw score of \<5 on Fall measures or \<7 on Winter measures
* between approximately 45-65 months of age

Inclusionary criteria for students in the TD group:

* cannot have an identified DLD or developmental disability and does not meet above criteria for language delay/disorder
* between approximately 45-65 months of age.
* are exposed to English \>50% of their time at home (per parent report)

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusionary criteria for both the DLD group and TD group:

* having a visual or hearing impairment after correction (per parent report)
* having a motor impairment that renders them unable to reach and grasp objects or sit independently
* score more than1.5 standard deviation below the mean on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning Visual Reception subscale
* This criterion will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the PI's discretion as children's performance may be affected by any of a number of factors and a single response variation may result in a child missing the cut-off while clearly succeeding cognitively in the classroom.

Where it's running

• Kennedy Krieger Institute
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Rebecca Landa, PhD — Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger Institute
• Study coordinator: Rebecca Landa, PhD
• Email: landa@kennedykrieger.org
• Phone: 443-923-7591

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.