Can simpler language therapy help kids with DLD? new study explores practical approaches
NCT ID NCT05099328
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looked at two ways to help children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) improve their grammar: recast therapy (where a therapist corrects the child's speech) and reading specially designed stories. Researchers worked with 137 children aged 4-9 to see how well these methods work under ideal and typical conditions. The goal was to find more practical treatment options that could be used in everyday settings.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Recast therapy and syntax stories (book reading)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward more feasible, effective language therapy methods for children with DLD that can be used in real-world settings.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed study focused on understanding how therapy is delivered, not on proving a new treatment works. Results may not lead to immediate changes in care.
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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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137 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Finished
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Apr 2026
- 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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4 to 9 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: Child with DLD * Age: 4-9 years old * Primarily English speaking: as documented by 20% or less exposure to another language, per parent report on the MAPLE * Diagnosed with DLD as documented by standard score below 85 on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation - Norm Referenced (DELV-NR) composite, a dialect neutral assessment (Seymour, Roeper, de Villiers, \& De Villiers, 2005). * Nonverbal Intelligence Quotient (IQ) within typical range as documented by a t-score at or above 35 on the Developmental Abilities Scale (DAS), matrices similarities subscale, (Elliott, 2007). * Hearing within the typical range: Pass screening at 25 dB for 1, 2, 4 kHz; OR scores within the typical range via SoundScouts hearing screening app; OR clear hearing assessment from an audiologist, otolaryngologist, medical doctor, or other professional. * No diagnosis of Autism: Cutoff score of 15 on the Social Communication Questionnaire, (Rutter, Bailey, \& Lord, 2003) * No diagnosis of significant sensory-motor concerns or significant psychiatric disorders per parent report * Able to benefit from treatment: * Score below 60% correct on experimenter developed elicited production probes of passives and object relative clauses * Producing simple transitive sentences (SVO) and mean length of utterance (MLU) of 2.5 on 100 utterance language sample Caregiver * Serves as the primary caregiver for an eligible child (may include grandparents, etc.) * Basic literacy skills per self-report * Willing to participate in caregiver training and caregiver-based treatments if child is assigned to that condition * Willing to participate in questionnaires and structured interviews during post-test
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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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University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware, 19711, United States
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University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland, 20742, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can Parents' everyday talk rewire young brains to boost language?
- Can quizzing help kids with language delays learn new words?
- Study aims to unlock better learning for kids with language disorder
- Can a better practice schedule boost speech memory in language disorder?
- Brain scans reveal how language therapy rewires Kids' brains