Autism Spectrum Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this research is to explore abilities to learn word meanings from overheard speech in children with ASD (and, as a control, typically developing children). Specific Aim 3 (Experiment 3): Determine whether children with ASD can learn verbs and pronouns by overhearing. Most prior work on learning from overheard speech has focused on learning nouns that label objects. This experiment extends this work to study other kinds of words.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVerbs
New verbs are introduced that are personally relevant to the child or neutral.
BEHAVIORALPronouns
Pronouns are used that directly refer to the child or are neutral.
Sponsors
Emerson College
New York University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
24 Months to 71 Months
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
\* children with or without a diagnosis of ASD between 24 to 71 months of age
Exclusion criteria
* native language is not English * born premature (\< 36 weeks) * has uncorrected hearing or vision impairments * has developmental disorders or medical conditions other than ASD that affect language or cognition (excepting psychiatric conditions often comorbid with ASD such as ADHD) * has a history of photosensitive epileptic seizures
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Object Preference for Verbs | During test phase of the experimental session (within 3 seconds after the learning phase); 1.0-2.5 seconds after the test question | Proportion of Time During Which Children's Eye Gaze is Directed Toward the Target Object in the Window from 1.0-2.5 Seconds after the Test Question |
| Object Selection for Pronouns | During test phase of the experimental session (within approx. 5 seconds of being asked the test question) | Proportion of trials on which children select the correct object that matches the pronoun |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| ASD - Verbs Children hear a novel verb in an experimental context that is personally relevant to them (e.g., addressed, of interest) or neutral. | 75 |
| TD - Verbs Children hear a novel verb in an experimental context that is personally relevant to them (e.g., addressed, of interest) or neutral. | 67 |
| ASD - Pronouns Children hear a pronoun in an experimental context that is personally relevant to them (e.g., addressed, of interest) or neutral. | 13 |
| TD - Pronouns Children hear a pronoun in an experimental context that is personally relevant to them (e.g., addressed, of interest) or neutral. | 23 |
| Total | 178 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 | FG002 | FG003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Withdrawal by Subject | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | TD - Pronouns | Total | ASD - Verbs | TD - Verbs | ASD - Pronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 45.5 months STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.4 | 49.3 months STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.3 | 56.7 months STANDARD_DEVIATION 11 | 37.5 months STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.2 | 61.3 months STANDARD_DEVIATION 11 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Asian | 3 participants | 10 participants | 1 participants | 3 participants | 3 participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black | 0 participants | 11 participants | 10 participants | 0 participants | 1 participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Hispanic | 0 participants | 4 participants | 4 participants | 0 participants | 0 participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized More than one race | 8 participants | 37 participants | 13 participants | 12 participants | 4 participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Unknown | 4 participants | 11 participants | 4 participants | 2 participants | 1 participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 8 participants | 105 participants | 43 participants | 50 participants | 4 participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 23 participants | 178 participants | 75 participants | 67 participants | 13 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Number of Enrolled Females | 1 participants | 45 participants | 18 participants | 19 participants | 7 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Number of Enrolled Males | 22 participants | 133 participants | 57 participants | 48 participants | 6 participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk | EG003 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 75 | 0 / 67 | 0 / 13 | 0 / 23 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 75 | 0 / 67 | 0 / 13 | 0 / 23 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 75 | 0 / 67 | 0 / 13 | 0 / 23 |
Outcome results
Primary
Object Preference for Verbs
Proportion of Time During Which Children's Eye Gaze is Directed Toward the Target Object in the Window from 1.0-2.5 Seconds after the Test Question
Time frame: During test phase of the experimental session (within 3 seconds after the learning phase); 1.0-2.5 seconds after the test question
Population: Participants were excluded from this outcome variable if their data was not able to be reliably coded (e.g., children were not looking at the screen).
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASD - Verbs | Object Preference for Verbs | 0.57 proportion of time | Standard Deviation 0.29 |
| TD - Verbs | Object Preference for Verbs | 0.56 proportion of time | Standard Deviation 0.22 |
p-value: 0.085t-test, 2 sided
p-value: 0.049t-test, 2 sided
Primary
Object Selection for Pronouns
Proportion of trials on which children select the correct object that matches the pronoun
Time frame: During test phase of the experimental session (within approx. 5 seconds of being asked the test question)
Population: Participants were excluded from this outcome variable if their data was not able to be reliably coded (e.g., children selected multiple objects at the same time).
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASD - Verbs | Object Selection for Pronouns | 0.67 Proportion of correct object selections | Standard Deviation 0.13 |
| TD - Verbs | Object Selection for Pronouns | 0.84 Proportion of correct object selections | Standard Deviation 0.15 |
p-value: 0.015t-test, 2 sided