Predicting language and literacy growth in children with autism

Predicting Language and Literacy Growth in Children With ASD Using Statistical Learning

This study is trying to see if how well first-graders with autism learn patterns in language can help predict their future reading and speaking skills.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Ages: 72 Months to 90 Months
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Northeastern University (other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Boston, Massachusetts and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06332144 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study aims to explore the relationship between statistical learning and the development of language and literacy in first-graders with autism and their non-autistic peers. Over a three-month period, children will undergo language, reading, and cognitive assessments, as well as participate in computer-based statistical learning games, both in and out of an fMRI scanner. The study seeks to determine if children's statistical learning abilities can predict their long-term language and literacy improvements, and how their brains learn patterns from speech and print. The project will involve 25 children from each group, matched by age and sex, to ensure a diverse sample and low attrition rates.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are first-grade children aged 6 to 7 years, both with and without autism, who are native English speakers and reside in the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area.

Not a fit: Patients who are non-native English speakers or have significant cognitive or neurological disorders may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide insights into effective interventions for improving language and literacy skills in children with autism.

How similar studies have performed: While the approach of using statistical learning to predict language development is innovative, similar studies have shown promising results in understanding language acquisition in children.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* current first grader (6;0 - 7;6)
* Geographically located within the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area
* Native English speakers
* Normal hearing
* Normal or corrected vision

Inclusion criteria for children with ASD (N = 25):

* Children with a professional diagnosis of autism according to expert clinical judgment
* Capable of speaking sentences with three or more words
* Social Communication Parent Questionnaire score \> 15
* Autism diagnosis confirmed by ADOS

Inclusion criteria for typically developing controls (N = 25):

* Neurotypical: with no known cognitive, neurological, or psychiatric disorders
* Social Communication Parent Questionnaire score \< 11
* Receive a score within 1 SD of the population mean for age on all assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

* non-native speakers of English
* More than 30 hours of exposure to a language other than English per week
* history of brain injuries and head injuries
* intellectual disability, mutism, motor delay, or developmental coordination disorder
* metal in body
* claustrophobic
* history of prior neurosurgical procedure
* substance abuse
* signs of increased intracranial pressure

Where this trial is running

Boston, Massachusetts and 1 other locations

• Northeastern University — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (RECRUITING)
• Boston University — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Zhenghan Qi, MD/PhD — Northeastern University
• Study coordinator: Brynn Siles, BS

Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Language Development, Literacy, Statistical Learning, Implicit Learning, Neuroimaging, Reading Development, fMRI