RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT07214480

Treatment for /s/ Production Errors in Children With Speech Sound Errors

An Alternative Service Delivery Model and Target Selection Approach for the Treatment of /s/ Errors

Sponsor

Syracuse University

Enrollment

24 participants

Start Date

Jun 9, 2025

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Speech Sound Disorder

Summary

We want to learn about a new way to help people make the /s/ sound, like in the word "snake." We will be studying a way to teach the /s/ sound that uses very short speech sessions. This study will also collect recordings from people as they say words with the /s/ sound. We will listen to these recordings and check if the words are said clearly. In the first visit, we'll do a speech lesson on how to make a clear /s/ sound. We will also have the participant say some words while we record them talking. If they are a good fit for the study, we will invite them to do a second visit. In the second visit, they will name some pictures, answer some questions, repeat words and sentences, and do some mouth movements. After the second visit, if they are a good fit for the study, we will invite them to do the speech lessons. The speech lessons will each take 10 minutes, and they will have lessons 4 times a week for 8 weeks. They will do these lessons on video chat. They will be randomized to either start right away or after 8 weeks. We'll also ask them to participate in 3 other visits to track progress by having them repeat words with /s/.

Eligibility

Min Age: 7 YearsMax Age: 11 Years

Inclusion Criteria17

Age: Participants must be between the ages of 7;0 and 11;11.
/s/ Errors: Participants must experience difficulty on /s/.
English Language Status: Participants must speak English as a dominant language and must have begun learning English before age 3
Hearing Status: Participants must have no reported hearing loss.
Neurodevelopmental Status: Participants must have no reported neurodevelopmental diagnosis. A reported diagnosis of ADHD/ADD is admissible if participants meet all other inclusionary criteria.
Technology Access: Participants must have access to a Windows or Apple computer with the ability to join a Zoom session. Additionally, participants must have wired broadband internet connection at home.
Location: Participants must reside in the United States or Canada.
Orthodontic Appliances: Participants must have no orthodontic retainers or appliances that would prevent them from touching the roof of their mouth with their tongue.
Prescreener Recordings: Participants must accurately produce at least 3 items on the /s/ prescreener probe list. Additionally, participants must accurately produce no more than 36 items on the /s/ prescreener probe list.
Dynamic Assessment Probes: Participants must accurately produce at least 5 out of 45 /s/ syllables correctly and must accurately produce no more than 60% of 75 /s/ words correctly. Additionally, participants must produce at least 75% of /s/ errors as dental or lateral distortion errors.
Oral Mechanism Examination: Participants must demonstrate adequate range of motion of the tongue during a brief oral mechanism examination.
Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation - 3rd Edition (GFTA-3): Participants must score below the 7th percentile on the GFTA-3 and must not demonstrate errors on more than two sounds other than /s/ and /z/ on the GFTA-3.
Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS): Must receive a scaled score of at least 5 on the Listening Comprehension and Story Retelling subtests of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS).
Linguisystems Articulation Test (LAT) Inconsistency Screener: Participants must produce less than three inconsistencies on the LAT Inconsistency Screener.
Syllable Repetition Task (SRT): Participants must produce less than four additions on the SRT.
Recording: Consent/assent to recording of assessment and treatment sessions.
General consent/assent: Consent/assent provided for study procedures.

Exclusion Criteria13

\. Age: Participants less than 7;0 or greater than 11;11. 2. /s/ Errors: Participants who do not experience difficulty on /s/. 3. English Language Status: Participants who do not speak English as a dominant language and/or who began learning English prior to age 3 4. Hearing Status: Participants who have reported hearing loss, per parent report.
\. Neurodevelopmental Status: Participants who have a reported neurodevelopmental diagnosis. A reported diagnosis of ADHD/ADD is admissible if participants meet all other inclusionary criteria.
\. Technology Access: Participants who do not have access to a Windows or Apple computer with the ability to join a Zoom session. Additionally, participants who do not have wired broadband internet connection at home.
\. Location: Participants who do not reside in the United States or Canada. 8. Orthodontic Appliances: Participants who have orthodontic retainers or appliances that would prevent them from touching the roof of their mouth with their tongue.
\. Prescreener Recordings: Participants who accurately produce less than 3 items on the /s/ prescreener probe list. Additionally, participants who accurately produce more than 36 items on the /s/ prescreener probe list.
\. Dynamic Assessment Probes: Participants who accurately produce less than 5 out of 45 /s/ syllables correctly and/or who accurately produce more than 60% of 75 /s/ words correctly. Additionally, participants who produce less than 75% of /s/ errors as dental or lateral distortion errors.
\. Oral Mechanism Examination: Participants who do not demonstrate adequate range of motion of the tongue during a brief oral mechanism examination.
\. Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation - 3rd Edition (GFTA-3): Participants who score above the 7th percentile on the GFTA-3 and/or who demonstrate errors on more than two sounds other than /s/ and /z/ on the GFTA-3.
\. Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS): Participants who receive a scaled score below 5 on the Listening Comprehension and Story Retelling subtests.
\. Linguisystems Articulation Test (LAT) Inconsistency Screener: Participants who produce greater than three inconsistencies on the LAT Inconsistency Screener.
\. Syllable Repetition Task (SRT): Participants who produce greater than four additions on the SRT.
\. Recording: No consent/assent provided to recording of assessment and treatment sessions.
\. General consent/assent: No consent/assent provided for study procedures.

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALMotor-based speech treatment

Speech Motor Chaining (Preston, Leece \& Storto, 2019) will be used to guide structured practice and random practice on speech sounds. A web-based platform (chaining.syr.edu) will be used to guide aspects of the treatment (feedback type, feedback frequency, stimulus complexity, variability). Treatment will occur in 10 minute sessions via teletherapy.