Pilot Evaluation of the Developed Syntactic-Semantic Visual Configuration Intervention for Children With Language Impairment

Summary

This study will pilot a newly developed Syntactic-Semantic Visual Configuration Intervention (SSVCI) designed to help Urdu-speaking children with language impairment improve their ability to understand and produce phrases and sentences. The intervention was developed through extensive literature review, expert recommendations, and the structure of the Urdu language to ensure that it is appropriate for children in Pakistan.

Before pilot testing, experts in speech-language pathology and Urdu linguist according to the inclusion criteria reviewed the intervention material to evaluate whether the activities are relevant, culturally appropriate, and representative of the language skills being taught. Feedback from children and caregivers was also be used to in the first phase of need assessment, before the intervention material was finalized.

The pilot study will include 20 children aged 6 to 12 years, including 10 children with language impairment and 10 children with typical language development. Participants will be recruited from selected schools, hospitals, and special education centers in Islamabad. Children with language impairment conditions , with primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, or Down syndrome, provided they meet the study eligibility criteria will be included.

Participants will complete language assessments before taking part in the intervention activities. These assessments will measure language skills such as sentence formation, understanding of spoken language, and narrative abilities. Information collected during the pilot study will help researchers determine whether the intervention materials are clear, practical, culturally appropriate, and suitable for use in a larger clinical trial. Findings from this study will also be used to refine the intervention by identifying activities or items that require modification or removal before final implementation.

Conditions

• Language Impairment
• Autism
• Hearing Impaired Children
• Down Syndrome

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Syntactic-Semantic Visual Configuration Intervention (SSVCI)

The Syntactic-Semantic Visual Configuration Intervention (SSVCI) is a structured, therapist-delivered language intervention developed specifically for Urdu-speaking children with language impairment. The intervention integrates syntactic and semantic language instruction with a visual configuration system that uses standardized visual cues to facilitate language comprehension and expressive language production. Therapy progresses systematically from foundational language concepts to early grammatical structures, including question forms, descriptive language, location concepts, negation, and plural forms. The intervention is culturally and linguistically tailored to Urdu and is delivered individually by a qualified speech-language pathologist in sixteen 30-minute sessions conducted two to three times per week.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Riphah International University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Humaira Shamim Kiyani, Phd · Riphah International University

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-09-01

Primary Completion

2026-09-23

Completion

2026-09-23

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations