Using repeated word-recall during book reading to help preschoolers with developmental language disorder learn new words
Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder During Book Reading II
This project will test whether asking 4- and 5-year-old children with developmental language disorder to repeatedly recall new words during shared book reading helps them learn and remember those words better than just hearing them.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 32 (estimated) |
| Ages | 48 Months to 71 Months |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Purdue University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (West Lafayette, Indiana) |
| Trial ID | NCT07048392 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This interventional project compares two ways of teaching novel words to preschoolers with developmental language disorder: repeated spaced retrieval (prompting children to recall words multiple times with spacing) versus repeated study (exposure without retrieval). The target words are embedded more fully in artist-illustrated storybooks so the words appear naturally in a narrative context. Children receive the different learning conditions during book reading sessions and are tested on immediate recall and longer-term retention of the novel words. The aim is to replicate and extend prior findings that retrieval practice improves vocabulary learning for children with DLD.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are 4- and 5-year-old native English-speaking children with documented developmental language disorder, normal hearing, nonverbal IQ above the intellectual disability range, and not on the autism spectrum.
Not a fit: Children outside the 4–5 age range, non-native English speakers, those with hearing loss, autism spectrum disorder, or nonverbal IQ below the cutoff are unlikely to qualify or to benefit from the specific protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve how well young children with DLD learn and retain new vocabulary, supporting their later academic and social communication.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies by these investigators and others have shown that repeated spaced retrieval improves novel word recall and retention in preschoolers with DLD and typical development, and this study seeks to replicate and extend those findings in a storybook context.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * a significant deficit in language ability (language test score below cutoff for best sensitivity/specificity) or documented age-appropriate language ability. * normal hearing. * no evidence of neurological damage or disease. * scores on tests of nonverbal intelligence above the intellectual disability range * not within Autistic range on Autism screening test * native English speaker (can be bilingual) Exclusion Criteria: * failed hearing screening * known neurological damage or disease * scores on tests of nonverbal intelligence below the intellectual disability range (standard score less than 75) * autism spectrum disorder * non-native English speaker
Where this trial is running
West Lafayette, Indiana
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, Indiana, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Laurence B. Leonard, PhD — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Patricia L Deevy, PhD
- Email: deevy@purdue.edu
- Phone: 765-496-1821
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.