How Simplified Language Affects Comprehension and Learning in Young Autistic Children

NCT ID: NCT05707923

Last Updated: 2025-04-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 104 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2027-05-31

Brief Summary

The long-term study goal is to experimentally evaluate the components (and likely active ingredients) of early language interventions for young children with ASD. The overall objective is to determine how single-word and telegraphic simplification affects real-time language processing and word learning in young children with ASD (relative to full, grammatical utterances). The proposed project will investigate three specific aims: 1) Determine how single-word and telegraphic simplification affects language processing. 2) Determine how single-word and telegraphic simplification affects word learning. 3) Evaluate child characteristics that may moderate the effects of linguistic simplification on language processing and word learning. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that children with ASD will process full, grammatical utterances faster and more accurately than single-word or telegraphic utterances. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that full, grammatical utterances will support word learning better than telegraphic or single-word utterances. Aim 3 will test the hypothesis that language and cognitive skills significantly moderate the effects of linguistic simplification on language processing and word learning in young children with ASD.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Utterance Type

This study uses a within-participant experimental manipulation. All participants will be exposed to all utterance types (across trials).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Linguistic simplification

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Children will participate in screen-based language processing and word learning tasks in which they hear utterances with different types and amounts of linguistic simplification (i.e., a within-group manipulation).

Interventions

Linguistic simplification

Children will participate in screen-based language processing and word learning tasks in which they hear utterances with different types and amounts of linguistic simplification (i.e., a within-group manipulation).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Existing or suspected autism spectrum disorder, confirmed through ADOS-2
• English as primary language
• 1-4 years old

Exclusion Criteria

• Known genetic condition (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X)
• Cerebral palsy
• Acquired brain injury
• Uncorrected vision or hearing impairment

• Minimum Eligible Age: 1 Year
• Maximum Eligible Age: 4 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Michigan State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Courtney E. Venker

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Courtney Venker, PhD

Role: CONTACT

cvenker@msu.edu

5178842259

Facility Contacts

Courtney Venker, PhD

Role: primary

cvenker@msu.edu

5178842259

Other Identifiers

R01DC020165

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

4584124

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id