Examining how language proficiency affects treatment outcomes in bilingual children with language disorders
The Relationship Between Child Language Proficiency and Language of Treatment on the Outcomes of Bilingual Children with Developmental Language Disorder
This study tests whether bilingual children with language disorders do better with treatment that uses both English and Spanish compared to treatment that focuses on just one language.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Ages | 4 Years to 6 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Houston Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Houston, Texas) |
| Trial ID | NCT06085300 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This study investigates the impact of language proficiency on treatment outcomes for bilingual children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). It compares monolingual interventions in English and Spanish with bilingual interventions that alternate between the two languages. The goal is to determine which approach leads to better language development and academic success. By analyzing the relationship between a child's proficiency in each language and their treatment outcomes, the study aims to provide guidance for speech language pathologists working with bilingual children.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are bilingual children aged 4 to 6 who exhibit language impairments and meet specific proficiency criteria in both English and Spanish.
Not a fit: Patients who are monolingual or do not meet the language proficiency criteria may not benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide evidence-based recommendations for effective treatment strategies for bilingual children with language disorders.
How similar studies have performed: While there is some evidence of cross-linguistic transfer in language treatment, this specific approach to bilingual intervention in children with DLD is relatively novel and has not been extensively tested.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. parent concerns and/or a history of receiving services in the public schools 2. age-specific cutoffs for the morphosyntax subtests for their best language (English or Spanish) on the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment. The cut-off score for best language for 4-year-olds is 84, for 5-year-olds is 85, and for 6-year-olds is 81. Using the best-language approach, these scores have a sensitivity over 90% and specificity over 80% for children between 4;0 and 6;11 years of age , which is considered acceptable for studies of diagnostic accuracy. 3. nonverbal IQ, as measured by the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-2, matrices subtest, will be at or above a standard score of 70. 4. pass a hearing screening test 5. participants must be bilingual, that is children must be producing at least simple sentences in spontaneous speech in both Spanish and English, or understand English and Spanish. 6. participants must be able to benefit from treatment for both conditional adverbial clauses and complement clauses, as evidenced by accuracy below 40% on 10-item elicited production probes in both languages Exclusion Criteria: * 1\) children with significant sensory-motor concerns or psychiatric disorders per parent report will not be enrolled.
Where this trial is running
Houston, Texas
- School Districst — Houston, Texas, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Anny Castilla-Earls
- Email: annycastilla@uh.edu
- Phone: 713-743-0488
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.