Speech intervention for bilingual children with speech sound disorders

Speech Intervention for Bilingual Children

Phase 1 Interventional University of Iowa · NCT06416306

This study is testing different speech treatments in English and Spanish to see which helps bilingual children with speech sound disorders improve their speaking skills better.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 1
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment16 (estimated)
Ages3 Years to 8 Years
SexAll
SponsorUniversity of Iowa Academic / other
Locations1 site (Iowa City, Iowa)
Trial IDNCT06416306 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This clinical trial aims to identify effective speech treatment targets for Spanish-English bilingual children with speech sound disorders. It will compare the effects of speech interventions conducted in English and Spanish, focusing on the linguistic complexity of treatment targets. Participants will undergo 12 to 18 sessions of speech intervention over six weeks, with assessments before, after, and at one and two months post-intervention. The study employs a single-subject experimental design to evaluate generalization of speech learning within and across languages.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are Spanish-English bilingual children with speech sound disorders who have significant gaps in their phonetic inventories.

Not a fit: Patients currently receiving speech or language treatment elsewhere may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could enhance speech therapy approaches for bilingual children, leading to improved speech outcomes.

How similar studies have performed: While there is limited research specifically targeting bilingual speech interventions, similar studies have shown promise in addressing speech sound disorders in monolingual populations.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants will be regularly exposed to English for at least 3 months in one of the following ways: a) an English-speaking caregiver or sibling who interacts with the child on a daily basis in English, b) attendance at an English-speaking daycare, preschool, or elementary school.
* Caregivers will have reported concern with their child's speech development and/or reduced intelligibility on the Intelligibility in Context Scale in Spanish or English.
* Participants will present with 5 or more consonants or clusters missing from their phonetic inventories in each language to confirm presence of a speech sound disorder and sufficient gaps in phonological knowledge to warrant treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants receiving speech or language treatment elsewhere during their participation in this project.

Where this trial is running

Iowa City, Iowa

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Speech Sound Disorderspeechspeech sound disorderbilingualtreatment targets
Last reviewed 2026-06-15 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.