Training Spanish-speaking caregivers to teach science vocabulary to young children with developmental language disorder
Caregiver Spanish Intervention Training for Children With Developmental Language Disorder
It sees if Spanish-speaking caregivers can use a short training plus either an app or books to teach science vocabulary to 4- to 6-year-old children with developmental language disorder.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 64 (estimated) |
| Ages | 4 Years to 6 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Northern Arizona University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Flagstaff, Arizona) |
| Trial ID | NCT07519629 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Families with a Spanish-speaking caregiver and a child aged 4–6 with confirmed developmental language disorder are enrolled and randomized to use either an educational app or books after a brief caregiver training. Children complete language, speech, hearing, and science/vocabulary testing at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint across an 11-week protocol (3 weeks of testing and 8 weeks of intervention). Caregivers report language use and complete training, and interventions are delivered at home while testing can occur at home, school, or the university clinic. The study focuses on whether caregiver-mediated instruction can increase target vocabulary knowledge in a bilingual Spanish-speaking context.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Spanish-speaking caregivers who spend daily time with a 4–6-year-old child who speaks at least 50% Spanish, has a DLD diagnosis confirmed by the BESA, passes a hearing screen, uses at least three-word utterances, and whose caregiver has a smartphone and fluency in Spanish.
Not a fit: Children who do not speak Spanish regularly, are outside the 4–6 age range, have intellectual disability or social communication disorder, lack sufficient spoken language, or whose caregivers are not fluent in Spanish or lack smartphone access are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help children with DLD learn more science vocabulary and give families practical tools to support language development at home.
How similar studies have performed: Caregiver-implemented vocabulary programs have shown benefits in monolingual contexts, but app-based and bilingual implementations for Spanish-speaking families are less well-established.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Children: * age (4-6) and not have completed kindergarten prior to pretesting * pass a hearing screening to rule out hearing loss as a cause for language impairment * speak Spanish at least 50% of their day reported in BIOS * have a confirmed diagnosis of DLD via the BESA * not have a diagnosis of intellectual disability via Matrices subtest or social communication disorder via Social Communication Questionnaire * be able to speak with at least 3-word utterances Caregivers: * have access to a smart phone * spend time with the child participant daily * speak fluent Spanish Exclusion Criteria: \-
Where this trial is running
Flagstaff, Arizona
- NAU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic — Flagstaff, Arizona, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Lindsey A Hiebert, Ph.D.
- Email: Lindsey.Hiebert@nau.edu
- Phone: 928-523-2109
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.