The neural basis and treatment of reading disability in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12611000779976

Enrollment

Registered

2011-07-26

Start date

2011-09-15

Completion date

2014-05-23

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The study has two parts - Part A and Part B. Participants can choose to participate in Part A alone or both parts of the study. The aim of Part A is to see if a computer-based training program can improve the reading of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and reading difficulties. Many children with NF1 experience difficulty reading, particularly when sounding out unfamiliar words (phonological dyslexia). It is hypothesised that by teaching these children letter-sound relationships (phonics) their reading and reading related skills (e.g. spelling) will improve. The aim of Part B is to identify parts of brain tissue and structure that may be related to children's reading abilities.

Interventions

There are 2 parts to the study. Participants can choose to complete Part A or Part A and B. Part A involves participants using a computerised phonics treatment which trains letter recognition, parsing, letter-sound rules, and blending. Participants train at home for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 8 weeks. Part B involves completing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain which lasts approximately 20 mins. Participants willl only complete the MRI once at baseline.

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomised trial

Intervention model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

7 Years to 12 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. All participants must fulfil the diagnosis of NF1 based on NIH criteria 2. Participants must have a full scale IQ greater than or equal to 80 (WISC-IV) or if a significant discrepancy is present between PRI and VCI the higher will be used. This index used must be 80 or above 3. Participants must have access to a computer and the internet

Exclusion criteria

1. Intracranial pathology such as epilepsy, hydrocephalus, diagnosed traumatic brain injury, or progressive intracranial tumours (children with asymptomatic or static lesions will be eligible); 2. Significant visual and/or hearing problems; 3. Currently taking psychotropic medication 4. Evidence/history of severe psychological disturbance 5. Insufficient English to complete the assessments

Outcome results