Using a Voice Output Communication Aid to Facilitate Language Development in Young Children With ASD

Using a Voice Output Communication Aid to Facilitate Language Development in Young Children With Autism Disorders

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01816178

Enrollment

Registered

2013-03-22

Start date

2004-02-29

Completion date

2005-08-31

Last updated

2013-03-22

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

Conditions

Autistic Disorder

Keywords

Autism spectrum Disorders, Voice Output Communication

Brief summary

It was proposed that in order to teach these children to use a Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA), it should be introduced through a play-based situation using parents as the primary interventionist.

Detailed description

The research will test the effectiveness of using the communication board to improve the frequency of communication and social engagement for these children, and the level or sophistication of that engagement. The study will test the effectiveness of using the communication board in a variety of settings and a variety of practitioners. The study will have sites in and near Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALcommunication training

Participants were instructed in the use of a voices output communication aid.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

2 Years to 5 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

Criteria for inclusion included a diagnosis of autism and agreement of the parents to participate and use the VOCA at home.

Exclusion criteria

Not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Improved Communication	1 year	Surveys of number of words Text data from VOCA Formal assessment instruments

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Review of text output from the VOCA	1 year	The VOCA records data on usage by day and time. We analyze the text data from the VOCA.

Other

Measure	Time frame	Description
Improved parent interaction	1 year	Data were gathered from the parents on the number of words spoken by their son and the way they felt the intervention was proceeding. Essentially we had parents report on the effectiveness of using the VOCA to improve the frequency of communication and social engagement for these young children with ASD.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026