Delineation of Sensorimotor Subtypes Underlying Residual Speech Errors — C-RESULTS  

Speech Sound Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: Correcting Residual Errors With Spectral, Ultrasound, and Traditional Speech Therapy: Delineation of Sensorimotor Subtypes

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Children with speech sound disorder show diminished accuracy and intelligibility in spoken communication and may thus be perceived as less capable or intelligent than peers, with negative consequences for both socioemotional and socioeconomic outcomes. While most speech errors resolve by the late school-age years, between 2-5% of speakers exhibit residual speech errors (RSE) that persist through adolescence or even adulthood, reflecting about 6 million cases in the US. Both affected children/families and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have highlighted the critical need for research to identify more effective forms of treatment for children with RSE. In a series of single-case experimental studies, research has found that treatment incorporating technologically enhanced sensory feedback (visual-acoustic biofeedback, ultrasound biofeedback) can improve speech in individuals with RSE who have not responded to previous intervention. Further research is needed to understand heterogeneity across individuals in the magnitude of response to biofeedback treatment.

The overall objective of this proposal is to conduct clinical research that will guide the evidence-based management of RSE while also providing novel insights into the sensorimotor underpinnings of speech. The central hypothesis is that individual deficit profiles will predict relative response to visual-acoustic vs ultrasound biofeedback. From the larger population of children with RSE evaluated as part of C-RESULTS-RCT (Correcting Residual Errors With Spectral, Ultrasound, Traditional Speech Therapy Randomized Controlled Trial), a subset of 8 children will be selected who show a deficit in one domain (auditory or somatosensory) and intact perception in the other. Single-case methods will be used to test the hypothesis that sensory deficit profiles differentially predict response to visual-acoustic vs ultrasound biofeedback.

Clinical Trial Description

Single-Case Randomization Component: At the group level, speakers with RSE show poorer auditory and oral somatosensory acuity than typically developing (TD) speakers, but individuals differ in the extent to which each sensory domain is impacted. The objective of this aim is to evaluate how distinct sensory profiles mediate relative response to different types of biofeedback, with the goal of optimizing treatment through personalized learning. This study will test the working hypothesis that visual-acoustic biofeedback will produce larger gains in children whose deficit primarily affects the specification of the auditory target, while ultrasound biofeedback will produce larger gains in children with a primary somatosensory deficit. The main approach to testing this hypothesis is to select, from the larger population of children with RSE evaluated as part of C-RESULTS-RCT, a subset of 8 children who show asymmetric sensory profiles (strong auditory and weak somatosensory acuity, or vice versa). These children will be enrolled in a single-case experimental design where individual treatment sessions are randomly assigned to feature visual-acoustic or ultrasound biofeedback. Participants will complete 20 hrs of treatment (10 days, 2 sessions per day) over a 5 week period. Acoustic measures will be used to evaluate /r/ production accuracy within each session. Randomization tests will be used to evaluate differences in accuracy between ultrasound and visual-acoustic biofeedback treatment conditions. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Speech Sound Disorder

• NCT number: NCT03736213
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: New York University
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: March 1, 2019
• Completion date: February 1, 2022