A new online approach may help children master the tricky /r/ sound
NCT ID NCT06969521
First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether adding perceptual training, which sharpens a child's ability to hear the difference between correct and incorrect /r/ sounds, improves the effectiveness of online speech therapy. Children aged 8 to 17 with residual speech sound disorder will receive either perception-first or production-first treatment via telepractice. Researchers will compare outcomes to see if the order of training matters, and whether a child's initial perception and production skills predict how well they respond.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Visual acoustic biofeedback and perceptual training delivered online
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward more effective, personalized online speech therapy for children who struggle with the /r/ sound, improving their speech clarity and confidence.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with 60 participants, so results may not apply to all children. The treatment requires consistent practice, and some children may not respond as well as others.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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8 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Must be between 8;0 and 17;11 years of age at the time of enrollment. Must speak English as the dominant language (i.e., must have begun learning English by age 2, per parent report). Must speak a rhotic dialect of English. Must pass a pure-tone hearing screening at 20dB hearing level. Must pass a brief examination of oral structure and function. Must exhibit less than 30% accuracy, based on consensus across 2 trained listeners, on a probe list eliciting rhotics in various phonetic contexts at the word level. Must exhibit no more than 3 sounds other than /r/ in error on the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-3 (GFTA-3). Exclusion Criteria: Must not receive a T score more than 1.3 SD below the mean on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-2 (WASI-2) Matrix Reasoning Must not receive a scaled score of 7 or higher on the Recalling Sentences and Formulated Sentences subtests of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5 (CELF-5). Must not have an existing diagnosis of developmental disability or major neurobehavioral syndrome such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, or Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Montclair State University
RECRUITINGMontclair, New Jersey, 07403, United States
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