ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05962359Updated Jul 2, 2026

Neural Prediction to Enhance Language

An interventional study of Parent-Implemented Communication Treatment in Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Speech and Language Development Delay Due to Hearing Loss and Social Communication, sponsored by Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 0 Months to 5 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-02.

Sponsored by Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 5 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2023, registered Jul 2023).
  • Started Jan 2023; still recruiting 3 years 9 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
700
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
0 Months to 5 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The language outcome of children receiving cochlear implantation to address bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is more variable than that of typical hearing children. The research is focused upon development of neural predictive models based upon brain imaging to forecast language after cochlear implantation on the individual child level. The long-term goal is improving children's language by using predictive models to enable a custom "predict to prescribe" approach to intervene with more effective behavioral therapy for children at risk to develop poorer language. The investigators previously developed models for short term language outcome of English-learning implanted children. The aims of this study are to 1. Develop models able to predict long term outcome for English- learning and Spanish-learning children; and 2. To evaluate whether English-learning children predicted to achieve lower language based on the investigators' previously constructed models can demonstrate significant gains from Parent Implemented Communication Treatment (PICT). PICT is an intensive parent education program about strategies to improve children's communication.

Read the detailed description

Arm1: Non-treatment Model Building. Up to 700 children will be recruited from 5 cochlear implant programs in the United States. Children will be enrolled and followed for up to four years after implantation. Study information will be obtained from each child's medical record before and after implantation including cause of hearing loss, general health, language and communication history, family history, cochlear implant device and surgery. Audiological information before and after implantation will be collected from routine visits that are part of cochlear implant candidacy evaluation and audiology evaluations after implantation. This includes audiology evaluations after activation of the cochlear implant that take place at around 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and/or 48 months. Pre-surgical MRI done at each participating site as part of routine pre-operative evaluation will also be collected for analysis. If enrolled into the study at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago before the pre-surgical MRI is done, the parent or guardian will have the option to have their child undergo additional research scans during the pre-surgical MRI.

Parents will be asked to complete baseline and follow-up surveys. The surveys will ask about family demographic and health information, language exposure in the home, therapy and school services, and language and communication ability of the child. Parental surveys will be readministered at about 12-month intervals after the child's device is turned on. In addition, surveys about the child's cognition will be sent to parents after their child has used their implant for one and two years. Surveys will be offered online by a secure link provided during clinical visits, emailed after the visit or sent by MyChart to the parent/guardian for completion at home.

An in-person research-only speech and language evaluation will be done at about one-year intervals after initial implantation during each year the child is enrolled in the study. The evaluation will take less than two hours.

Arm 2: Experimental: Communication Treatment is terminated. Study#372634 (the human subjects study record) to be removed/terminated in ASSIST.

02

Conditions studied

  • Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss
  • Speech and Language Development Delay Due to Hearing Loss
  • Social Communication

Keywords

  • Hearing Loss
  • Children
  • Parent-mediated intervention
  • Language prediction
03

In context

Speech

205 studies on the registry are indexed under Speech; 80 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 700 is above the median of 52 across 141 interventional studies indexed under Speech.

Browse Speech studies →

Lead sponsor

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the lead sponsor of 180 studies on the registry; 28 are open to participants now.

Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (50%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
0 Months to 5 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria (Arm 1):

  1. Children with sensorineural hearing loss who meet clinical criteria for cochlear implantation in both ears who meet the following age criteria at time cochlear implant evaluation begins:

    • Age 5 years and under.
    • English or Spanish as the dominant language.
  2. English or Spanish dominant language in the home.

Inclusion Criteria (Arm 2):

  1. Children with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who meet clinical criterial for cochlear implantation
  2. English dominant spoken language by family
  3. Age at implantation of 36 months and younger when treatment begins
  4. Parent or caregiver that is willing to participate who understands spoken English
  5. Child is exposed to spoken language by at least one parent (total communication or auditory/oral) in the home

Exclusion Criteria (Arm 1):

  1. Severe motor and /or cognitive disability that would preclude evaluation of progress
  2. Limited electrode insertion likely to significantly impact development of speech perception
  3. Hearing loss due to bacterial meningitis
  4. Neither English or Spanish as the dominant family language in the home

Exclusion Criteria (Arm 2):

  1. Severe motor and /or cognitive disability that would preclude evaluation of progress
  2. Limited electrode insertion likely to significantly impact development of speech perception
  3. Hearing loss due to bacterial meningitis
  4. Dominant language other than English
  5. Diagnoses or medical conditions expected to impact language development independent of hearing loss
  6. Cochlear nerve deficiency in implanted ears or severe cochlear malformation
  7. Children already having spoken language who score better than 25th percentile on the Words and Sentences portion of the CDI language evaluation.
  8. Child with more than two months CI experience prior to start of treatment
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
700 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Non-treatment Model Building
  • Experimental
    Communication Treatment

    Terminated

    Behavioral: Parent-Implemented Communication Treatment

Interventions

  • BehavioralParent-Implemented Communication Treatment

    The intervention will be taught by a qualified professional online and/or in-person for about 6 months. Parents will learn strategies to enhance their children's social communication and will receive coaching and feedback.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5)

    A standardized measure of auditory comprehension and expressive communication in children. Standard scores are obtained which are then translated to percentiles, and age equivalents. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  2. Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5)

    A standardized measure of auditory comprehension and expressive communication in children. Standard scores are obtained which are then translated to percentiles, and age equivalents. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  3. Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5)

    A standardized measure of auditory comprehension and expressive communication in children. Standard scores are obtained which are then translated to percentiles, and age equivalents. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 36 months after cochlear implant activation

  4. Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5)

    A standardized measure of auditory comprehension and expressive communication in children. Standard scores are obtained which are then translated to percentiles, and age equivalents. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 48 months after cochlear implant activation

  5. Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition (EOWPVT-4)

    An individually administered, norm-referenced assessment of how well a person can name objects, actions, or concepts presented in full-color pictures. Raw scores are obtained which are then translated to standard scores, percentiles, and age equivalents. Both higher standard scores and raw scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  6. Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition (EOWPVT-4)

    An individually administered, norm-referenced assessment of how well a person can name objects, actions, or concepts presented in full-color pictures. Raw scores are obtained which are then translated to standard scores, percentiles, and age equivalents. Both higher standard scores and raw scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  7. Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition (EOWPVT-4)

    An individually administered, norm-referenced assessment of how well a person can name objects, actions, or concepts presented in full-color pictures. Raw scores are obtained which are then translated to standard scores, percentiles, and age equivalents. Both higher standard scores and raw scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 36 months after cochlear implant activation

  8. Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition (EOWPVT-4)

    An individually administered, norm-referenced assessment of how well a person can name objects, actions, or concepts presented in full-color pictures. Raw scores are obtained which are then translated to standard scores, percentiles, and age equivalents. Both higher standard scores and raw scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 48 months after cochlear implant activation

  9. MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI)

    A set of online parent report intruments that evaluate children's early speech and langauge development. Standard scores are based on percentiles for age and sex and range from 1 to 99th percentile. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  10. MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI)

    A set of online parent report intruments that evaluate children's early speech and langauge development. Standard scores are based on percentiles for age and sex and range from 1 to 99th percentile. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  11. MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI)

    A set of online parent report intruments that evaluate children's early speech and langauge development. Standard scores are based on percentiles for age and sex and range from 1 to 99th percentile. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 36 months after cochlear implant activation

  12. MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI)

    A set of online parent report intruments that evaluate children's early speech and langauge development. Standard scores are based on percentiles for age and sex and range from 1 to 99th percentile. Higher standard scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 48 months after cochlear implant activation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)

    A parent-reported executive function questionnaire that utilizes T-scores to reflect individual's level of executive functioning. Higher T-scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  2. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)

    A parent-reported executive function questionnaire that utilizes T-scores to reflect individual's level of executive functioning. Higher T-scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  3. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool Version (BRIEF-P)

    A parent-reported executive function questionnaire designed for preschool-aged children that utilizes T-scores to reflect children's level of executive functioning. Higher T-scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  4. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool Version (BRIEF-P)

    A parent-reported executive function questionnaire designed for preschool-aged children that utilizes T-scores to reflect children's level of executive functioning. Higher T-scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  5. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 6 months after cochlear implant activation

  6. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 12 months after cochlear implant activation

  7. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 18 months after cochlear implant activation

  8. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 24 months after cochlear implant activation

  9. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 36 months after cochlear implant activation

  10. Pediatric Minimum Speech Test Battery (PMSTB)

    A set of measures designed to evaluate speech discrimination for infants and word/ sentence recognition for children using hearing technology before entering school. Scores range from 0 to 700. Higher scores indicate better performance.

    Time frame: At 48 months after cochlear implant activation

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 2, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05962359
Responsible party
Nancy Young, MD (Head, Section of Otology/Neurotology and Medical Director, Audiology & Cochlear Implant Programs, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 27, 2023
Start date
Jan 23, 2023
Primary completion
Jul 23, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 23, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 2, 2026

Study contacts

Nancy M Young, MD
Contact
nyoung@luriechildrens.org
312-227-6812
Emily (Shimeng) Xu, PhD
Contact
sxu@luriechildrens.org
Nancy M Young, MD
principal investigator · Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion