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Childhood Apraxia of SpeechNCT07815249

Speech Therapy for Children With Rare Genetic Conditions and Childhood Apraxia of Speech

A study testing Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing in people with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Genetic Condition, run by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at 1 site in Australia.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this trial is to learn if speech therapy can improve speech accuracy in children with rare genetic conditions and childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This study will look at each child individually. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 3 to 16 years
What is being tested?
Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteAustralia
Study dates
1 Jul 2026to Dec 2028
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 3 to 16 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Children aged between 3 and 16 years, with a confirmed genetic condition and a diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech; English as the primary language at home; able to participate in speech therapy 3 times per week for 4 weeks

Who cannot join

  • Diagnosis of an acquired brain or movement condition likely to affect speech; currently receiving motor speech therapy in the community; diagnosis of a behavioural condition likely to impact engagement (i.e., unable to participate for 45 minutes, unable to focus attention at the speech therapist's face for a few minutes at a time, unable to say any sounds and/or use gesture, unable to try to copy speech therapist; intolerant to touch (if touch cues are needed for DTTC)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Miya D St John, PhD contact

+610399366586

miya.stjohn@mcri.edu.au

Maddy K Hill, MSpPath contact

+610399366586

maddy.hill@mcri.edu.au

Australia1 site, 1 recruiting

  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

    Melbourne, Victoria, 3052

    Miya D St John, PhD, +610399366586, miya.stjohn@mcri.edu.au

    Maddy K Hill, MSpPath, +610399366586, maddy.hill@mcri.edu.au

    Recruiting

Other trials in Australia

About this study

Official title: A Single Case Experimental Design Study of Motor Speech Treatment for Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Rare Genetic Conditions

The goal of this trial is to learn if speech therapy can improve speech accuracy in children with rare genetic conditions and childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This study will look at each child individually.

Participants will complete 4-weeks of motor speech therapy (3 times per week) and will complete speech assessments before, during and after therapy to measure change. The motor speech therapy will be either Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) or Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC). Assignment to ReST or DTTC will be based on the participant's age and speech ability. This trial will not compare ReST and DTTC.

Read the detailed description

This study uses a single case experimental design (SCED) approach with a multiple baseline design.

Participants will be allocated to either speech movement therapy approach (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing [DTTC] or Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment [ReST]) (based on clinical and speech characteristics). Each participant is allocated to one treatment only. Each participant will follow an A-B-F pattern as follows.

A: Baseline: Within each group, participants will be randomly allocated to baseline lengths of 3, 4 or 5 probes (i.e., providing experimental control). Baseline probes will be collected twice per week (i.e., baseline duration will run from 1.5 to 2.5 weeks)

B: Treatment: All participants will complete a 4-week treatment block (3 sessions per week) with a qualified speech pathologist.

F: Follow-up: Maintenance probes will be completed at 1 week, 4 weeks and 8 weeks post-treatment.

Speech outcomes are measured repeatedly during baseline, treatment and follow-up to examine level, trend and maintenance of change over time.

The primary objective is to examine the efficacy of currently utilised speech treatments (i.e., DTTC, ReST) on accuracy of trained speech targets in children with CAS and rare genetic conditions.

Secondary objectives:

  • To measure change in accuracy of untrained speech targets (generalisation)
  • To measure change in connected speech intelligibility
  • To measure change in functional communication (e.g., parent-reported communication and intelligibility)
  • To explore parent satisfaction with the intervention and perceived impact on participation and quality of life

This trial anticipates n=20 participants, approximately n=10 per treatment group (DTTC, ReST) each contributing to a multiple baseline SCED.

Once consented, the individual estimated duration is 4 months:

  • < 3 weeks for multiple baseline probes
  • 4 weeks of treatment (incl. weekly probes)
  • 8 weeks for follow-up/maintenance probes

Treatment:

  • Intensive speech movement treatment delivered 3x/week for 4 weeks (12x 45-60 minute sessions).
  • Established DTTC or ReST protocols will be followed. These treatments are manualised. Fidelity will be monitored via checklists and session recordings, with oversight from the CI
  • Individualised target word sets will be based on each child's phonetic/phonotactic profile (i.e., the sounds and syllable structures they can and cannot produce)
  • Speech probe assessments collected at each baseline, weekly during treatment, and at 1-, 4- and 8- weeks post-treatment
Being tested
Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment, Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing
Keywords
Childhood apraxia of speech, Speech pathology, Speech therapy, Genetic, Genetic condition, Speech-language pathology, Motor speech
Medical subject headings
Apraxias, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Communication Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Rapid Syllable Transition TreatmentBehavioural

    ReST is a motor speech treatment targeting prosodic accuracy (correct stress patterns) and smooth transitions between sounds. It uses pseudo-words (also known as nonwords) to remove reliance on meaning and focus on pure motor planning and programming demands (i.e., the core deficit in CAS).

    Participants will complete 60 minutes of motor speech therapy (ReST), 3 times per week for 4 weeks, totalling 12 treatment sessions.

  • Dynamic Temporal and Tactile CueingBehavioural

    DTTC is a motor speech treatment. It is designed to support children with CAS who require intensive modelling, cueing, and motor practice. The treatment focuses on syllables rather than isolated sounds and progresses through a hierarchy of simultaneous production (i.e., with the clinician), immediate (copying), delayed, and spontaneous productions based on performance. Cueing is highly flexible and dynamic to ensure accurate speech movement patterns before practice intensity increases.

    Participants will complete 60 minutes of motor speech therapy (DTTC), 3 times per week for 4 weeks, totalling 12 treatment sessions.

Study groups in NCT07815249
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Motor speech therapyExperimentalDTTC or ReST
Receives: Behavioral: Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment; Behavioral: Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in accuracy of trained speech targets following speech intervention where accuracy is measured by the percentage of words correct on an individualised probe word list

    This will be used to determine changes in accuracy of trained speech targets following speech intervention. Accuracy will be determined using an individualised probe word list (a higher percentage of correct words demonstrates higher accuracy).

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

Secondary outcomes (7)

  1. Change in accuracy of untrained speech targets following speech intervention where accuracy is measured by the percentage of words correct on an individualised probe word list

    This will be used to determine changes in accuracy of untrained speech targets following speech intervention. Accuracy will be determined using an individualised probe word list (a higher percentage of correct words demonstrates higher accuracy).

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  2. Change in the percentage of subjective (listener-based) single word speech intelligibility following speech intervention measured using the Preschool/Childhood Speech Intelligibility Measure (PSIM/CSIM)

    Percent single word intelligibility calculated from Preschool/Childhood Speech Intelligibility Measure (PSIM/CSIM). Higher % is more accurate.

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  3. Change in subjective (listener-based) sentence level (connected speech) intelligibility following speech intervention measured using the Assessment of the Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS)

    The percentage of words correctly understood by an unfamiliar listener will be measured from 22 sentences produced. A higher percentage demonstrates greater accuracy.

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  4. Change in objective measures of speech timing following speech intervention measured using acoustic measures obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel.

    Acoustic measures of timing (pause length and speech rate) will be obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (DDK) (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel (i.e., "say ahhh for as long as you can").

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  5. Change in objective measures of vocal control following speech intervention measured using acoustic measures obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel.

    Acoustic measures of vocal control (fundamental frequency variation) will be obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (DDK) (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel (i.e., "say ahhh for as long as you can").

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  6. Change in objective measures of vocal quality following speech intervention measured using acoustic measures obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel.

    Acoustic measures of vocal quality (harmonics-to-noise ratio) will be obtained from three short speech tasks (2-minute monologue, diadochokinetic rate (DDK) (i.e., "pa-pa-pa") and sustained vowel (i.e., "say ahhh for as long as you can").

    Measured: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.

  7. Tolerability for the parent/caregiver and participant measured using a 5-point Likert scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree

    Study specific parent/caregiver and participant tolerability and use survey using 5-point Likert scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree.

    Measured: Completed at end of 4 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Sep 2026
  2. Study start1 Jul 2026
  3. Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Multiple baseline single case experimental design
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07815249
Sponsor's protocol ID
124323
Status last verified
Sep 2026
First submitted
6 Sep 2026
Last updated
11 Sep 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Morgan AT, Amor DJ, St John MD, Scheffer IE, Hildebrand MS. Genetic architecture of childhood speech disorder: a review. Mol Psychiatry. 2024 May;29(5):1281-1292. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02409-8. Epub 2024 Feb 16.

    PubMed 38366112

  • Maas E, Robin DA, Austermann Hula SN, Freedman SE, Wulf G, Ballard KJ, Schmidt RA. Principles of motor learning in treatment of motor speech disorders. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2008 Aug;17(3):277-98. doi: 10.1044/1058-0360(2008/025).

    PubMed 18663111

  • Maas E, Gildersleeve-Neumann C, Jakielski KJ, Stoeckel R. Motor-based intervention protocols in treatment of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Curr Dev Disord Rep. 2014 Sep;1(3):197-206. doi: 10.1007/s40474-014-0016-4.

    PubMed 25313348

  • Scarcella I, Michelazzo L, McCabe P. A Pilot Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment for Italian Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2021 Jun 18;30(3S):1496-1510. doi: 10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00133. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

    PubMed 33830791

  • Grigos MI, Case J, Lu Y, Lyu Z. Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing in Young Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Multiple Single-Case Design. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2024 Apr 8;67(4):1042-1071. doi: 10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00415. Epub 2024 Mar 21.

    PubMed 38512002

  • Thomas DC, McCabe P, Ballard KJ. Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: the effect of lower dose-frequency. J Commun Disord. 2014 Sep-Oct;51:29-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2014.06.004. Epub 2014 Jul 6.

    PubMed 25052390

  • Thomas DC, McCabe P, Ballard KJ, Lincoln M. Telehealth delivery of Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2016 Nov;51(6):654-671. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12238. Epub 2016 May 10.

    PubMed 27161038

  • Strand EA. Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing: A Treatment Strategy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2020 Feb 7;29(1):30-48. doi: 10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-0005. Epub 2019 Dec 17.

    PubMed 31846588

  • Kratochwill TR, Levin JR. Enhancing the scientific credibility of single-case intervention research: randomization to the rescue. Psychol Methods. 2010 Jun;15(2):124-44. doi: 10.1037/a0017736.

    PubMed 20515235

  • Krasny-Pacini A, Evans J. Single-case experimental designs to assess intervention effectiveness in rehabilitation: A practical guide. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2018 May;61(3):164-179. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2017.12.002. Epub 2017 Dec 15.

    PubMed 29253607

  • Vogel AP, Stoll LH, Oettinger A, Rommel N, Kraus EM, Timmann D, Scott D, Atay C, Storey E, Schols L, Synofzik M. Speech treatment improves dysarthria in multisystemic ataxia: a rater-blinded, controlled pilot-study in ARSACS. J Neurol. 2019 May;266(5):1260-1266. doi: 10.1007/s00415-019-09258-4. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

    PubMed 30840144

  • Pennington L, Lombardo E, Steen N, Miller N. Acoustic changes in the speech of children with cerebral palsy following an intensive program of dysarthria therapy. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2018 Jan;53(1):182-195. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12336. Epub 2017 Jul 17.

    PubMed 28714530

  • Yorkston KM, Beukelman DR. Communication efficiency of dysarthric speakers as measured by sentence intelligibility and speaking rate. J Speech Hear Disord. 1981 Aug;46(3):296-301. doi: 10.1044/jshd.4603.296.

    PubMed 7278175

  • Maas E, Gildersleeve-Neumann C, Jakielski K, Kovacs N, Stoeckel R, Vradelis H, Welsh M. Bang for Your Buck: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Practice Amount and Distribution in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019 Sep 20;62(9):3160-3182. doi: 10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-18-0212. Epub 2019 Aug 19.

    PubMed 31425660

  • Gomez M, Purcell A, Jakielski K, McCabe P. A single case experimental design study using an operationalised version of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol for children with childhood apraxia of speech. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2024 Apr;26(2):194-211. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2023.2211750. Epub 2023 Oct 19.

    PubMed 37855390

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing in people with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Genetic Condition, run by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at 1 site in Australia.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Australia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Miya D St John, PhD (+610399366586, miya.stjohn@mcri.edu.au), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in accuracy of trained speech targets following speech intervention where accuracy is measured by the percentage of words correct on an individualised probe word list (time frame: Baseline (3, 4 or 5 baselines depending on baseline allocation, complete twice weekly pre-treatment), Treatment week 1, Treatment week 2, Treatment week 3, Treatment week 4, 1-week post treatment, 4-weeks post treatment, 8-weeks post treatment.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07815249, which also lists 20 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Sep 2026.

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