Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Purdue University

Code:

NCT07048392

Conditions

Developmental Language Disorder and Language Impairment

Specific Language Impairment

Language Development

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 4 - 5

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Spaced Retrieval condition

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Study condition

Study Details

Brief summary:

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD; also referred to as specific language impairment) experience a significant deficit in language ability that is longstanding and harmful to the children's academic, social, and eventual economic well-being. Word learning is one of the principal weaknesses in these children. This project focuses on the word learning abilities of four- and five-year-old children with DLD. The goal of the project is to build on the investigators' previous work to determine whether, as has been found thus far, special benefits accrue when these children must frequently recall newly introduced words during the course of learning. In this study, the investigators seek to replicate the advantage that repeated retrieval holds over simple exposure to the words appearing in the context of a story book by increasing the degree to which the words are integrated into the story line.

Conditions

Developmental Language Disorder and Language Impairment

Specific Language Impairment

Language Development

Study ID

NCT07048392

Start date

Mar 1, 2025

Status verified date

Jul, 2025

Completion date

Jul 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 4 - 5

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

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

Study Design

Enrollment

32 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Factorial

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Children with Developmental Language Disorder

These children have a significant delay in language development in the absence of hearing impairment, cognitive delay, autism, or neurological injury/disease.

experimental: Children with typical language development

Children whose language development is as expected for their age.

Interventions

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Spaced Retrieval condition

Each child will learn 8 novel nouns referring to unfamiliar plants and animals ("nepp") and a related "meaning" ("a nepp likes rain") in the context of a story book. Four of the nouns will be will be learned using repeated spaced retrieval. In this condition, they will initially hear the information and be asked to retrieve it. Thereafter, they will be asked to retrieve it after hearing 3 intervening words. After each retrieval attempt, they will hear the target information again. This procedure will occur on two consecutive days.

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Study condition

Each child will learn 8 novel nouns referring to unfamiliar plants and animals ("nepp") and a related "meaning" ("a nepp likes rain") in the context of a story book. Four of the nouns will be will be learned using repeated study trials only (with no retrieval practice). In this condition, they will simply hear the information (word \& meaning) as part of the story. This procedure will occur on two consecutive days.

Primary outcome measure

  • Word Form Recall Accuracy (number of words correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, Day 1 [ Time Frame: 5 minutes after end of first (Day 1) learning period ]
  • Word Form Recall Accuracy (number of words correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, Day 2 [ Time Frame: 5 minutes after end of first (Day 2) learning period ]
  • Word Form Recall Accuracy (number of words correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, One week [ Time Frame: One week after end of learning period ]
  • Word Meaning Recall Accuracy (number of semantic associations correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, Day 1 [ Time Frame: 5 minutes after end of first (Day 1) learning period ]
  • Word Meaning Recall Accuracy (number of semantic associations correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, Day 2 [ Time Frame: 5 minutes after end of first (Day 2) learning period ]
  • Word Meaning Recall Accuracy (number of semantic associations correctly recalled) in Repeated Spaced Retrieval and Repeated Study conditions, one week [ Time Frame: One week after end of learning period ]
  • Word recognition (number of words accurately identified) in repeated spaced retrieval and repeated study conditions. [ Time Frame: One week after end of learning period ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Patricia L Deevy, PhD

765-496-1821deevy@purdue.edu

Laurence B Leonard, PhD

765-496-2253xdxl@purdue.edu

Locations

Purdue University

Recruiting

West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, 47907

Contacts

Patricia L. Deevy, PhD

765-496-1821deevy@purdue.edu

Laurence B. Leonard, PhD

765-496-2253xdxl@purdue.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Purdue University

Last update posted

Jul 4, 2025

Last verified

Jul, 2025

Keywords

  • word learning
  • word retrieval
  • preschool-aged children

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Purdue University on 2025-07-04.