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A Randomized Control Trial of Motor-based Intervention for CAS

NCT04642053 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 72

Last updated 2026-01-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a complex, multivariate speech motor disorder characterized by difficulty planning and programming movements of the speech articulators (ASHA, 2007; Ayres, 1985; Campbell et al., 2007; Davis et al., 1998; Forrest, 2003; Shriberg et al., 1997). Despite the profound impact that CAS can have on a child's ability to communicate, little data are available to direct treatment in this challenging population. Historically, children with CAS have been treated with articulation and phonologically based approaches with limited effectiveness in improving speech, as shown by very slow treatment progress and poor generalization of skills to new contexts. With the emerging data regarding speech motor deficits in CAS, there is a critical need to test treatments that directly refine speech movements using methods that quantify speech motor control.

This research is a Randomized Control Trial designed to examine the outcomes of a non-traditional, motor-based approach, Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing (DTTC), to improve speech production in children with CAS. The overall objectives of this research are (i) to test the efficacy of DTTC in young children with CAS (N=72) by examining the impact of DTTC on treated words, generalization to untreated words and post-treatment maintenance, and (ii) to examine how individual patterns of speech motor variability impact response to DTTC.

Conditions

  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing

Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing is based on principles of integral stimulation where the client watches, listens to and imitates the clinician (Strand, 2020). Treatment will begin by training the child to imitate and simultaneously produce syllables/words with the clinician. Sessions will focus on establishing accurate movement transitions in treated words. The child will be asked to imitate the clinician's production of the target. If the child's imitation is inaccurate, they will be instructed to simultaneously produce the target with the clinician. Simultaneous productions will continue to provide practice opportunity with maximal cuing. As the child gains greater accuracy, simultaneous productions will be faded and direct imitation will be attempted again. Over the course of treatment, the movement gesture will be shaped with the goal being accurate production with normal rate and naturalness.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • New York University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Maria I Grigos, PhD · New York University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
29 Months
Max Age
95 Months
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-09-14
Primary Completion
2026-08-31
Completion
2027-03-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04642053 on ClinicalTrials.gov