Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Investigators compare effects of 6-month music versus circus group interventions on language development in infants and toddlers with or without familial risk for dyslexia (anticipated total N=200). Effects of intervention timing, dyslexia risk and genetics, and social-emotional factors on the intervention outcomes are investigated.


Clinical Trial Description

Infancy and early childhood lay the base for language and reading abilities, and this development can be compromised by heritable conditions such as the reading deficit developmental dyslexia. One of the earliest indices of language abilities is neural processing of native language speech, as it is associated both with familial risk for developmental language and reading deficits and with subsequent language and reading development. Previous work has shown that musical activities can promote auditory and language learning early on and even improve reading in dyslexic children. Large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed particularly in risk groups in order to give recommendations and design effective interventions to support language development and ameliorate later difficulties. The investigators will conduct such a trial to study the effects of a playful music training group compared to a similar circus training group on speech processing and language development in infancy and early childhood. It is investigated how these effects are moderated by familial risk for dyslexia and its genetic markers as well as timing of the intervention in relation to the children's age and developmental status. Investigators study how the expected social-emotional benefits of the interventions on the parent, child, and their interaction mediate the intervention effects on language. Approximately 8-12-month-old infants with confirmed parental dyslexia or without parental dyslexia will be randomized, using block randomization, to one of the two 6-month training groups, and outcome measures will be collected before and after the intervention and at follow-up ~1 year after the intervention has ended. The total anticipated sample size is 200, with approximately 100 infants in the music and circus interventions and within each intervention, approximately 50 infants with and 50 without parental dyslexia. Speech processing will be evaluated with speech-elicited auditory event-related potentials, and language skills and general development with standardized parental questionnaires and age-appropriate standardized tests. Social-emotional factors are evaluated with parental questionnaires. DNA samples are collected to study dyslexia genetics. The results can contribute to designing effective interventions for supporting language development in vulnerable groups early on. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT06261307
Study type Interventional
Source University of Helsinki
Contact Paula Virtala, PhD
Phone 408446907
Email paula.virtala@helsinki.fi
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date March 11, 2024
Completion date March 2027

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT03268928 - Evaluating the Impact of Story Starters on Children's Language Development N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT04919343 - Do Video Materials Help Parents to Support Infant Development? N/A
Recruiting NCT06026124 - Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder During Book Reading N/A
Completed NCT02853786 - Language Environment in Children With Cochlear Implants N/A
Recruiting NCT02998164 - Improving Outcomes Using Technology for Children Who Are DHH N/A
Recruiting NCT04857255 - Technology-assisted Language Intervention (TALI) N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT04609553 - Literacy Promotion for Latinos Study N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05339464 - Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten N/A
Completed NCT03795454 - Can Singing Kangaroo Improve Outcome of Preterm Infants N/A
Completed NCT03076268 - TMP-Visitas al Hogar N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05325333 - Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder N/A
Recruiting NCT06125093 - Study of an Early Parenting Intervention for Children With Genetic Abnormalities and Mental Health Problems N/A
Completed NCT06001866 - Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder: Verb Learning N/A
Completed NCT03766906 - STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Familia Talk N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05508282 - Testing an App-Based Approach to Reading and Screen Time Guidance for Parents of Infants N/A
Completed NCT04027673 - Thirty Million Words-Early Childhood Educator (TMW-ECE) N/A
Completed NCT04423133 - Bilingual Family Literacy Program Pilot N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT05861531 - Learning to Talk, Learning to Eat: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve NICU Oral Feeding and Language Outcomes N/A
Completed NCT02774356 - Testing Native Language Neural Commitment at the Subcortical Level N/A
Completed NCT03547492 - Developmental Intervention for Infants of Adolescent Mothers N/A