Literacy
Conditions
Keywords
AAC
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a phonics-based literacy program for children with limited or no speech who use augmentative and alternative communication. More specifically, this study aims to: 1. Understand if using a literacy app (Accessible Literacy Learning) created to support individuals with limited or no speech, with instruction provided by a service provider, will increase their literacy skills 2. Understand how many trials/how much time it takes to acquire each of the 6 early literacy skill assessed 3. Understand if service providers think the Accessible Literacy Learning app is appropriate for this population that needs many literacy adaptions due to challenges with speech. 4. Understand if any characteristics lead to more learning of the skills, for example, diagnosis or age Participants will be asked to complete 100 lessons using the app. The lessons will be phonics-based for the intervention group. The comparison group with use the same app and complete 100 lessons, but will only complete lessons in sight word (no phonics).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALALL Phonics Instruction
The Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) App is available in the app store and created by TobiiDynavox (an AAC device company). The ALL app is evidence informed and includes pre-made lessons in early phonics/phonological skills including: letter-sounds, sound blending, decoding, phoneme segmentation, sight words, and encoding. The materials made in the app are adapted and created for children with minimal or no speech.
BEHAVIORALALL Sight Word Instruction
The Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) App is available in the app store and created by TobiiDynavox (an AAC device company). The ALL app is evidence informed and includes pre-made lessons in early phonics/phonological skills including: letter-sounds, sound blending, decoding, phoneme segmentation, sight words, and encoding. The materials made in the app are adapted and created for children with minimal or no speech. This group will only use the sight word lessons, as well as the library for sight word books. No phonics instruction will be provided through the app.
Sponsors
Penn State University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 10 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Students with CCN can participate if they meet the following criteria: * 3 to 10 years old * present with speech and communication skills that did not meet all of their daily communication needs (e.g., have an AAC system; less than 50% intelligible at the single word level to unfamiliar partners if using speech) * follow one-step directions * symbolic communicators with use of at least 50 words/signs/picture icons expressively, * limited literacy skills (i.e., identify less than 26 letter-sound correspondences, 10 words during sound blending, 25 sight words on the screening assessment, and can spell less that 20 words) * not receiving consistent phonologically-based direct literacy instruction or receiving instruction in less than 2 of the tested skills * unimpaired or corrected vision and hearing * access to an iPad School support personnel (e.g., teachers, speech-pathologists, paraprofessionals) can participate if they meet the following criteria, per self-report: * Speaks English * Reads English * 18 years of age or older * Spending time directly working with an individual with CCN who needs to learn to read * Willingness to implement the ALL curriculum and incorporate it into the daily educational plans
Exclusion criteria
Students cannot participate if they: * are under 3 years of age * do not present with severe speech disorders whereby they could use or benefit from AAC * can't follow one-step directions * are not symbolic communicators * are able to read at the connected text level * do not speak/understand English * impaired and uncorrected vision and hearing * do not have access to an iPad to use the ALL app Support personnel cannot participate if they: * do not speak English * do not understand English * have impaired vision and hearing that is not corrected and impacts reading and hearing the child they work with * are not in daily direct contact with someone with CCN * unwilling to attend trainings related to the ALL app * unwilling to incorporate the ALL app into daily educational plans
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline Scores on the Early Literacy Assessment | Through study completion, an average of 8 months | We will examine the impact of literacy lessons delivered with the ALL technology on the change in scores on the Early Literacy Assessment (ELA) -specifically change in scores in the areas of letter-sounds, sound blending, phoneme segmentation, decoding, irregular sight words, and encoding. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Data from the Feasibility Adoption Acceptability Questionnaire (FAAQ) | Through study completion, an average of 8 months | To measure the perceptions of implementation variables the Feasibility Adoption Acceptability Questionnaire (FAAQ) will be completed at six timepoints throughout the study. Likert-scale questions (Scale of 1-5) across 10 questions, as well as 2 open responses. |
| Treatment and Acceptability Rating Form - Revised | Through study completion, an average of 8 months | Pre-post interviews using the Treatment and Acceptability Rating Form-Revised (TARF-R) \[20\] will examine which components of the ALL technology are perceived as helpful or hindering to progress as well as factors that may support high implementation fidelity. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed