Study aims to crack the code on how much speech therapy kids really need
NCT ID NCT04501536
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at how much speech therapy is best for children aged 5 to 8 with language impairment. Fifty-nine kids were randomly assigned to receive therapy either once a week for 2 hours or four times a week for 30 minutes, over 10 weeks. The goal was to see which schedule helped them learn new vocabulary words better, using storybooks and one-on-one sessions with a trained assistant.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- word learning intervention (storybook-based vocabulary therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help speech therapists prescribe the right amount of therapy for children with language impairment, improving vocabulary gains more efficiently.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 59 children, so results may not apply to all kids. It tests different therapy schedules, not a new drug or cure.
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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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59 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2020
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- 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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5 to 8 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: * Is between the ages of 5:0-8:11 * Has a primary diagnosis of a language impairment with deficits in vocabulary * Primarily communicates in English * Scores at or below 10th percentile on at least one of these three vocabulary assessments: 1. Semantics subtest of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation (DELV) 2. Vocabulary subtests of the Test of Language Development (TOLD-P:5); or 3. Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary (CREVT) Exclusion Criteria: * Children with concomitant diagnoses that may underlie observed language difficulties (e.g., autism, hearing loss, severe cognitive disability)
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, 78712, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.