Phonemic Segmentation for Early Literacy

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

Overseen by Robyn Becker

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Recruiting

Sponsor: Montclair State University

Disqualifiers: Hearing impairment, Language impairment, others

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study will use an experimental design to explore if articulatory gestures (with letters and phonemic awareness training) enhance early literacy skills more than general mouth awareness training (with letters and phonemic awareness training) or letter/phonemic awareness training alone.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Phonemic Segmentation for Early Literacy?

Research shows that phonemic segmentation training can significantly improve reading skills in children with reading disabilities and enhance reading readiness in kindergarteners. Studies indicate that this training helps children better understand phonemes (the smallest units of sound in speech), which is crucial for reading success. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How is the treatment Phonemic Segmentation unique for early literacy?

Phonemic Segmentation is unique because it focuses on teaching children to break down words into individual sounds, which is shown to significantly improve reading skills in young children, especially those at risk for reading difficulties. Unlike other general language activities, this treatment specifically targets phonemic awareness, a crucial skill for reading success. ^{3 5 6 7 8}

Research Team

Robyn Becker

Principal Investigator

Montclair State University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for 4-year-old children who know at least 15 letter names, have normal hearing, pass a language screening test, and can only segment up to three simple words into sounds. They should not be able to read more than one word or nonword that will be used in the posttest.

Inclusion Criteria

I can name 15 letters.

I passed the Fluharty-2 language test.

My hearing is within normal limits.

Trial Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive phonemic awareness training with different strategies: articulatory gestures, general mouth awareness, or no mouth/articulation pictures

4 weeks

Weekly sessions

Assessment

Participants are assessed on phonemic segmentation, word reading, and nonword reading immediately after the intervention

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for retention of literacy skills after the intervention

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Phonemic Segmentation (Behavioral Intervention)

Trial Overview The study is testing if teaching kids how to make mouth movements (articulatory gestures) while learning letters and sounds improves early reading skills better than just general mouth training or only learning letters and sounds without any special mouth exercises.

Participant Groups

Group I: LPM: Letters-phonemes-general mouth awareness Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This group will receive training for phonemic segmentation that includes using printed letters, sounds (phonemes) while simultaneously learning about the mouth in general.

Group II: LPA: Letters-phonemes-articulatory gestures Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This group will receive training for phonemic segmentation that includes using printed letters, sounds (phonemes) while simultaneously learning the articulation placements of the letters/sounds.

Group III: LP: Letters-phonemes Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This group will receive training for phonemic segmentation that includes using printed letters and sounds (phonemes) only.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Montclair State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14

Recruited

1,200+

Findings from Research

In a study involving 42 kindergartners from low-income backgrounds, spelling skills were identified as the strongest predictor of how well children responded to phonemic awareness training, suggesting a bidirectional relationship between these skills.

The amount of exposure to phonemic awareness training significantly influenced individual improvements in both phonemic awareness and spelling, highlighting the importance of targeted instruction in early literacy development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emergent literacy skills and training time uniquely predict variability in responses to phonemic awareness training in disadvantaged kindergartners. Hecht, SA., Close, L.[2022]

Both blending and spelling training were effective in improving decoding skills for two first-grade boys with learning disabilities, as they met the learning criteria for both interventions.

The boys showed significant improvement in their phonemic skills, suggesting that the intensive instructional setting and systematic error analysis contributed to their success, even without specific training in phonemic segmentation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of blending and spelling training on the decoding skills of young poor readers. DiVeta, SK., Speece, DL.[2017]

Phonemic discrimination training significantly improved phonemic segmentation skills in children with reading disabilities, as demonstrated by a study involving 32 second and third graders.

The control group, which did not receive the training, showed no improvement, suggesting that the training specifically helped children recognize and understand phonemic properties they previously struggled with.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training phonemic segmentation ability with a phonemic discrimination intervention in second- and third-grade children with reading disabilities. Hurford, DP.[2017]

Training in letter-sound correspondences and phonemic decoding significantly improved the decoding skills of three first-grade children at risk for reading failure, indicating that targeted phonemic training can be effective for early readers.

While the experimental subjects showed substantial gains in phonological decoding skills, their overall formal reading and spelling scores did not improve as much compared to matched control subjects, suggesting that while decoding skills can be learned, translating these skills into broader reading and spelling abilities may require additional support.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Generalization of early metalinguistic skills in a phonological decoding study with first-graders at risk for reading failure. Rivers, KO., Lombardino, LJ.[2019]

Phoneme segmentation training in kindergarten significantly improves reading readiness, as evidenced by a study involving 90 nonreaders who received seven weeks of targeted instruction.

The phoneme segmentation group outperformed control groups in both phoneme segmentation and reading measures, highlighting the importance of this training in early literacy development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phoneme segmentation training: Effect on reading readiness. Ball, EW., Blachman, BA.[2021]

Learning to read significantly enhances phonemic segmentation skills in children during their first year of schooling, indicating that reading acquisition is crucial for developing these skills.

Improving phonemic awareness in kindergarten can help at-risk children acquire reading skills, suggesting that early phonological training may prevent future reading difficulties.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

On the interaction between phonological awareness and reading acquisition: It's a two-way Street. Bentin, S., Leshem, H.[2021]

Both first-grade children and college students demonstrated the ability to focus on phonetic details, such as distinguishing between monophthongs and diphthongs, indicating a foundational understanding of phonemic awareness that is crucial for literacy development.

The study revealed that print-related knowledge influences phoneme counting, as participants counted fewer sounds in syllables that were names of letters compared to non-letter names, suggesting that spelling knowledge can affect phonemic processing.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can children and adults focus on sound as opposed to spelling in a phoneme counting task? Treiman, R., Cassar, M.[2019]

A study involving 42 pre-literate children with speech disorders showed that teaching phoneme awareness skills is possible, with significant improvements observed in the phonological awareness group compared to the language stimulation group for three out of four measures.

Phoneme Isolation was the most successfully learned skill, indicating its relevance in speech therapy, while more complex tasks like phoneme addition, deletion, and word segmentation showed limited improvement, suggesting that many children may not be cognitively ready for these advanced tasks at ages 4 to 4.5.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Teaching phoneme awareness to pre-literate children with speech disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Hesketh, A., Dima, E., Nelson, V.[2022]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emergent literacy skills and training time uniquely predict variability in responses to phonemic awareness training in disadvantaged kindergartners. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of blending and spelling training on the decoding skills of young poor readers. [2017]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training phonemic segmentation ability with a phonemic discrimination intervention in second- and third-grade children with reading disabilities. [2017]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Generalization of early metalinguistic skills in a phonological decoding study with first-graders at risk for reading failure. [2019]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phoneme segmentation training: Effect on reading readiness. [2021]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

On the interaction between phonological awareness and reading acquisition: It's a two-way Street. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can children and adults focus on sound as opposed to spelling in a phoneme counting task? [2019]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Teaching phoneme awareness to pre-literate children with speech disorder: a randomized controlled trial. [2022]