Word Learning Strategies for Autism
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Age: < 18
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Louisiana State University and A&M College
Disqualifiers: Non-speaking, Cerebral palsy, Genetic disorders, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?Children on the autism spectrum sometimes have difficulty learning new words and using the newly taught information in different situations. In this study, the investigators are testing whether strategies that have been found to improve word learning in non-autistic children will also help autistic children. Specifically, the investigators aim to test whether autistic children learn words more successfully if novel words are taught by repeating the words to the child (re-study) or if the novel words are taught first with labeling each word and then quizzing the child (repeated quizzing).
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* When teaching nouns (names of exotic animals), is learning stronger if autistic children re-study or engage in repeated quizzing of the newly taught words?
* When teaching adjectives (visible features of objects, like a bumpy chair), is learning stronger if autistic children re-study or engage in repeated quizzing of the newly taught adjectives?
* Does the word learning condition (re-study vs. repeated quizzing) impact whether autistic children are more successful in demonstrating their knowledge of the newly taught words in different contexts?
* Are autistic features related to patterns of word learning?
Participants will:
* Learn new words with half of the words being taught in one way (re-study) and the other half of the words being taught in the other way (repeated quizzing).
* Participate in 5-minute and 1-week tests of the newly taught words to measure child learning.
* Complete other language, thinking, and autism clinical assessments.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Retrieval-based word learning, Retrieval-based word learning, Repeated spaced retrieval practice for word learning in autism?
Research shows that retrieval-based practice and spaced practice can improve word learning and retention in individuals with language disorders, including children with developmental language disorder and specific language impairment. These strategies have been found to enhance long-term retention and recall of new words, suggesting potential benefits for individuals with autism as well.
12345Is retrieval-based word learning safe for humans?
The research on retrieval-based word learning strategies, such as repeated spaced retrieval practice, does not report any safety concerns for humans. These strategies have been studied in children with language disorders and typically developing children, showing benefits in word learning without any noted adverse effects.
13456How is the treatment 'Retrieval-based word learning' different from other treatments for autism?
Retrieval-based word learning is unique because it focuses on using repeated spaced retrieval practice to enhance memory retention, which is particularly beneficial for autistic children who may have difficulties with short-term memory. This method leverages the strengths of autistic individuals in processing visual and auditory stimuli, making it a tailored approach compared to other treatments that may not specifically address these cognitive processing differences.
7891011Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for autistic children who have challenges with word learning. The study will involve teaching strategies to help them learn new words and use them in different contexts. To participate, children must meet certain criteria that confirm they are on the autism spectrum.Inclusion Criteria
My child primarily speaks English.
All children must score above 75 on the Leiter-3, a nonverbal cognitive assessment
My child, aged 4-8, has a confirmed diagnosis of ASD.
+2 more
Exclusion Criteria
Non-speaking autistic children and minimally speaking autistic children
My child has a neurological or genetic condition affecting their development.
My child has hearing loss that hasn't been treated.
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Word Learning
Participants are taught novel words using either re-study or repeated quizzing methods
Varies
Multiple sessions
Testing
Participants undergo 5-minute and 1-week tests to measure word learning and generalization
1 week
2 visits (in-person)
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for retention and generalization of learned words
4 weeks
Participant Groups
The study tests two methods of teaching words: one by repeating (re-study) and another by quizzing (repeated quizzing). It aims to see which method helps autistic children learn nouns and adjectives better and apply this knowledge in various situations.
1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Word LearningExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Each autistic child will be taught novel words in a behavioral task.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LA
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Louisiana State University and A&M CollegeLead Sponsor
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)Collaborator
References
Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Young Typically Developing Children and Children With Development Language Disorder II: A Comparison of Retrieval Schedules. [2020]Purpose Retrieval practice has been found to be a powerful strategy to enhance long-term retention of new information; however, the utility of retrieval practice when teaching young children new words is largely unknown, and even less is known for young children with language impairments. The current study examined the effect of 2 different retrieval schedules on word learning at both the behavioral and neural levels. Method Participants included 16 typically developing children ( M TD = 61.58 months) and 16 children with developmental language disorder ( M DLD = 59.60 months). Children participated in novel word learning sessions in which the spacing of retrieval practice was manipulated: Some words were retrieved only after other words had been presented (i.e., repeated retrieval that required contextual reinstatement [RRCR]); others were taught using an immediate retrieval schedule. In Experiment 1, children's recall of the novel word labels and their meanings was tested after a 5-min delay and a 1-week delay. In Experiment 2, event-related brain potentials were obtained from a match-mismatch task utilizing the novel word stimuli. Results Experiment 1 findings revealed that children were able to label referents and to retain the novel words more successfully if the words were taught in the RRCR learning condition. Experiment 2 findings revealed that mismatching picture-word pairings elicited a robust N400 event-related brain potential only for words that were taught in the RRCR condition. In addition, children were more accurate in identifying picture-word matches and mismatches for words taught in the RRCR condition, relative to the immediate retrieval condition. Conclusions Retrieval practice that requires contextual reinstatement through spacing results in enhanced word learning and long-term retention of words. Both typically developing children and children with developmental language disorder benefit from this type of retrieval procedure. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7927112.
Retrieval practice and spacing effects in multi-session treatment of naming impairment in aphasia. [2021]Retrieval practice and spacing are two factors shown to enhance learning in basic psychological research. The present study investigated the clinical applicability of these factors to naming treatment in aphasia. Prior studies have shown that naming treatment that provides retrieval practice (i.e., practice retrieving names for objects from semantic memory) improves later naming performance in people with aphasia (PWA) more so than repetition training. Repetition training is a common form of naming treatment that can support errorless production of names for objects, but it does not provide retrieval practice. Prior work has also demonstrated enhanced naming treatment benefit in PWA when an item's training trials are separated by multiple intervening trials (i.e., spacing) compared to only one intervening trial (i.e., massing). However, in those studies, items were only trained in one session. Also, the effects of the learning factors were probed after one day and one week. The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of retrieval practice and spacing in a more clinically-inspired schedule of delivery and to assess the effects of the learning factors at retention intervals of greater functional significance. Matched sets of errorful items for each of four PWA were presented for multiple trials of retrieval practice or repetition in a spaced or massed schedule in each of multiple training sessions. Mixed regression analyses revealed that retrieval practice outperformed repetition, and spacing outperformed massing, at an initial post-treatment test administered after one week. Furthermore, the advantage for retrieval practice over repetition persisted at a follow-up test administered after one month. The potential clinical relevance of retrieval practice and spacing for multi-session interventions in speech-language treatment is discussed.
After Initial Retrieval Practice, More Retrieval Produces Better Retention Than More Study in the Word Learning of Children With Developmental Language Disorder. [2021]Purpose Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) often have difficulty with word learning. Recent studies have shown that incorporating retrieval practice provides a significant benefit to this learning. However, we have not yet discovered the best balance between the amount of retrieval and the amount of study (hearing the word in the presence of the referent) that is provided. In this investigation, we compared a word learning procedure using more retrieval and less study with a procedure that used more study and less retrieval. Method Participants were 13 children with DLD and 13 same-age peers with typical language development (TD). Both groups ranged in age from 4 to 6 years. The children learned two sets of novel words, with each set taught in two sessions. During an initial criterion period, the children had the opportunity to retrieve all of the words. Following this period, the words were either retrieved without further study or studied without additional retrieval. Recall and recognition testing immediately followed the second learning session and was repeated 1 week later. Testing assessed the children's retention of both the word forms and their meanings. Results Better recall both immediately after learning and after 1 week was seen for the more retrieval/less study condition. This was seen for both groups of children for word form recall and for children with DLD for meaning. Group differences were not found. Conclusion This study served as a stringent test of the benefits of retrieval to children's word learning. Continued retrieval after initial retrieval practice appeared to be helpful even when further study was discontinued and when the comparison study condition had also provided retrieval practice in the initial stages. Further refinement of retrieval procedures might lead to the development of useful clinical tools to promote word learning.
Retrieval Practice and Word Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment and Their Typically Developing Peers. [2021]Purpose In this article, we review the role of retrieval practice on the word learning and retention of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Method Following a brief review of earlier findings on word learning in children with SLI and the assumptions behind retrieval practice, four experiments are described that compared novel words learned in a repeated spaced retrieval condition and those learned in either a repeated study condition or a repeated immediate retrieval condition. Preschool-age children with SLI and their same-age peers with typical language development were the participants in all experiments. The effects of repeated spaced retrieval were assessed through measures of recall of word form and meaning and, receptively, through both picture-pointing and electrophysiological measures. Results Repeated spaced retrieval resulted in greater recall of word form and meaning across the experiments. This advantage was seen not only for word-picture pairs used during the learning period but also when generalization of the word to new pictures was required. Receptive testing through picture pointing showed similar results, though in some experiments, ceiling effects rendered this measure less sensitive to differences. An alternative receptive measure-the N400 elicited during picture-word mismatches-showed evidence at the neural level favoring repeated spaced retrieval. The advantages of repeated spaced retrieval were seen in both children with SLI and their typically developing age mates. Conclusion Future efforts are warranted to refine and extend the experiments reviewed here. If these efforts prove successful, procedures that incorporate repeated spaced retrieval into more naturalistic clinical and educational activities might be an appropriate next step. Presentation Video https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13063730.
The Advantages of Retrieval-Based and Spaced Practice: Implications for Word Learning in Clinical and Educational Contexts. [2021]Purpose Researchers in the cognitive sciences have identified several key training strategies that support good encoding and retention of target information. These strategies are retrieval-based practice, also known as learning through testing, and spaced practice. The recent resurgence of research on retrieval-based and spaced practice has been extended to investigate the effectiveness of these strategies to support learning in individuals with language disorders. The purpose of the current article is to review key principles of retrieval-based and spaced practice that can be used to support word learning in individuals within clinical and educational contexts. Conclusion Current research provides evidence that principles of retrieval-based and spaced practice can enhance word learning for individuals with language disorders. Current research provides guidance for clinicians on how to implement these strategies both within and across sessions to support encoding and retention of target information. Additional research should be conducted to provide a better understanding of how to optimize encoding and retention in clinical and educational contexts. Most notably, research that examines long-term retention after interventions are withdrawn would further our understanding of how these principles can be optimally applied to improve outcomes for individuals with language disorders.
Adjective Learning in Young Typically Developing Children and Children With Developmental Language Disorder: A Retrieval-Based Approach. [2023]Purpose There are strong retention benefits when learners frequently test themselves during the learning period. This practice of repeated retrieval has recently been applied successfully to children's word learning. In this study, we apply a repeated retrieval procedure to the learning of novel adjectives by preschool-age children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and their typically developing (TD) peers. We ask whether the benefits of retrieval extend to children's ability to apply the novel adjectives to newly introduced objects sharing the same characteristics as the objects used during the learning period. Method Fourteen children with DLD (M age = 62.64 months) and 13 TD children (M = 62.54 months) learned novel adjectives in 2 sessions. For each child, half of the adjectives were learned in a repeated spaced retrieval condition, and half were learned in a repeated study-only condition. Recall was assessed immediately after the second learning session and 1 week later. A recognition test was also administered at the 1-week mark. Results On the recall tests, for both groups of children, recall was better for adjectives learned in the repeated spaced retrieval condition. Adjectives learned by the 2nd day were retained 1 week later. Every adjective correctly applied to an object used during the learning period was also extended accurately to new objects with the same characteristics. On these recall tests, the children with DLD did not differ from the TD group in the number of items recalled, though their phonetic accuracy was lower. On the recognition test, the DLD group showed greater accuracy for adjectives that had been learned in the repeated spaced retrieval condition than for those learned in the repeated study condition, whereas the TD group performed at high levels in both conditions. Conclusion Repeated spaced retrieval appears to provide an effective boost to word learning. Because its benefits are seen even when a word must be extended to new objects, the application of this procedure seems well suited for learning new language material rather than being limited to item-specific memorization.
How do Autistic and Neurotypical Children's Interests Influence their Accuracy During Novel Word Learning? [2023]Word learning depends on attention - children must focus on the right things at the right times. However, autistic children often display restricted interests, limiting their intake of stimuli during word learning. This study investigates how category interests influence word learning in autism and neurotypical development. Autistic and neurotypical children matched on receptive vocabulary used a touch-screen computer to learn novel words associated with animals (high-interest stimuli) and objects (neutral-interest stimuli) via fast mapping. Response accuracy and speed were examined at referent selection, 5-minute retention, and 24-hour retention. Both groups identified meanings of novel words associated with unfamiliar animals and objects via mutual exclusivity with comparable accuracy. After 5 minutes, autistic children retained animal names with greater accuracy than neurotypical children. Autistic children showed a greater increase in their accuracy between 5-minute and 24-hour retention and outperformed neurotypical children across conditions after a night's sleep. Across groups, 24-hour retention was predicted by number of target word repetitions heard at referent selection, indicating a relationship between fast mapping input and retention. However, autistic children were slower to respond correctly, particularly in the animal condition. For autistic children, superior word learning associated with high-interest stimuli was relatively short-term, as sleep appeared to consolidate their memory representations for neutral-interest stimuli. Although these results demonstrate that fundamental word learning mechanisms are not atypical in autism, slower response times may signal a speed-accuracy trade-off that could have implications for naturalistic language acquisition. Our findings also indicate favourable environmental conditions to scaffold word learning.
A study of memory functioning in individuals with autism. [2006]Memory tasks were administered to 14 high-functioning individuals with autism and 14 typically developing individuals matched on chronological age and verbal intelligence. The tasks consisted of free and cued recall of 15 semantically unrelated words in 3 encoding conditions: phonological encoding, semantic encoding, and a no encoding orientation. In both groups, semantic orientation led to better free recall than did orientation toward syllabic encoding or absence of orientation. In contrast, semantic cues at retrieval led to better cued recall than phonological cues in typically developing individuals, whereas both types of cue had the same effect in prompting cued recall for individuals with autism. These findings are incompatible with the hypothesis of an amnesic deficit and do not support the notion of executive or semantic deficits in the memory problems of autistic individuals, at least for those with a high level of functioning. It is proposed that these findings can be accounted for by enhanced phonological processing in autism. This interpretation is consistent with other findings of enhanced processing of low-level perceptual information in the visual and auditory modality in autism.
The nature and specificity of the language coding deficit in autistic children. [2019]The subjects, 12 autistic, 12 retarded and 12 normal children, range-matched on digit span and mental age, were asked to learn and recall sequences of words. Four types of sequence were used: sequences were constructed to be either grammatically well formed or not and were constructed so that the elements had a high or low degree of semantic relatedness. Sequences were presented in an auditory-verbal serial recall task and performance was assessed with three measures: serial recall, cluster recall and free recall. In general, recall was better when the degree of semantic relatedness was high rather than low, and the improvement was similar for all groups. Similarly, recall was better for sequences which were grammatically well formed than for sequences which were not, but the improvement of normal children was significantly greater than that of autistic children. While contemporary theories view the linguistic deficit evidenced by autistics as a deficit in the processing of semantic information, these results show that autistics have a deficit in processing syntactic information. However, this study does not resolve the issue of whether the deficit is specific to autism or a more general, developmental deficit, for while autistics differed from matched normal children, they did not differ from matched retarded children. Methodological problems in the construction of natural language sequences which vary independently in semantic and syntactic features are discussed, and it is suggested that sequences with artificial syntactic and semantic (associational) structures should be used to resolve the question of whether autistics have a deficit in processing semantic information.
Investigating the relationship between fast mapping, retention, and generalisation of words in children with autism spectrum disorder and typical development. [2020]While many studies have investigated how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts how children identify the meanings of new words, this task alone does not constitute learning. Here we investigate fast (referent selection) and slow (retention, generalisation) word learning processes as an integrated system and explore relationships between these mechanisms in ASD and typical development. In Study 1, children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children matched on receptive vocabulary utilised mutual exclusivity to identify referents of unfamiliar words, but showed substantially reduced accuracy on delayed retention and generalisation trials. Thus, Study 2 investigated whether re-directing children's attention to target objects following referent selection would enhance delayed retention. Participants received either social feedback (target objects were labelled and highlighted via social cues) or non-social feedback (target objects were labelled and highlighted via a flashing light). In both conditions, children with ASD were less accurate in their use of mutual exclusivity to fast-map novel words than TD children. However, children with ASD who received social feedback responded more accurately on delayed retention and generalisation trials than TD controls, and children with ASD who received non-social feedback or no feedback (in Study 1). Our findings imply that fundamental word learning mechanisms, and the relationships between them, are not qualitatively different in ASD. We argue that ASD may affect the efficiency of these mechanisms by disrupting children's intake of linguistic input in natural environments, but difficulties may be mitigated by presenting visual and auditory stimuli in a way that appeals to the population's strengths.
Memory in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis of experimental studies. [2021]To address inconsistencies in the literature on memory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we report the first ever meta-analysis of short-term memory (STM) and episodic long-term memory (LTM) in ASD, evaluating the effects of type of material, type of retrieval and the role of interitem relations. Analysis of 64 studies comparing individuals with ASD and typical development (TD) showed greater difficulties in ASD compared with TD individuals in STM (Hedges' g = -0.53, 95% CI [-0.90, -0.16], p = .005, I² = 96%) compared with LTM (g = -0.30, 95% CI [-0.42, -0.17], p < .00001, I² = 24%), a small difficulty in verbal LTM (g = -0.21, p = .01), contrasting with a medium difficulty for visual LTM (g = -0.41, p = .0002) in ASD compared with TD individuals. We also found a general diminution in free recall compared with cued recall and recognition (LTM, free recall: g = -0.38, p < .00001, cued recall: g = -0.08, p = .58, recognition: g = -0.15, p = .16; STM, free recall: g = -0.59, p = .004, recognition: g = -0.33, p = .07). We discuss these results in terms of their relation to semantic memory. The limited diminution in verbal LTM and preserved overall recognition and cued recall (supported retrieval) may result from a greater overlap of these tasks with semantic long-term representations which are overall preserved in ASD. By contrast, difficulties in STM or free recall may result from less overlap with the semantic system or may involve additional cognitive operations and executive demands. These findings highlight the need to support STM functioning in ASD and acknowledge the potential benefit of using verbal materials at encoding and broader forms of memory support at retrieval to enhance performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).