An interventional study of speech therapy treatment and speech therapy treatment and strengthening exercise in Speech Dysfunction, sponsored by University of Haifa. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 15 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-16.
Sponsored by University of Haifa · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Background: The main speech organ that affects the pronunciation of the various vowels is the tongue. The relationships between posture and voice, and between the position of the tongue at rest and posture, have been proven, but the relationship between pronunciation and posture has not yet been proven. The rationale for examining this relationship is that the imbalance and differing loads in poor neck and head posture cause different muscular arrangements of the muscles that support the jaw, tongue, and neck, which will thus affect pronunciation.
Objectives: To examine the relationship between posture, tongue position, and the correct pronunciation in subjects with and without pronunciation disorders. In addition, to examine the effect of a muscle strengthening program on these characteristics.
Methods: The study will include two parts. The first part will be a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire to examine speech therapists' perceptions of the relationship and importance of posture and pronunciation. The second part will include a prospective interventional clinical study to examine the relationship between tongue position at rest and pronunciation, posture, and muscle strength. In addition, the effect of adding muscle-strengthening training to conventional pronunciation therapy on the process of acquiring correct pronunciation will be examined.
This study will examine the relationship between posture, tongue position, and correct pronunciation in subjects with and without pronunciation disorders. In addition, we will examine the effect of a muscle-strengthening program on these characteristics.
The first part will include an online questionnaire to examine speech therapists' perceptions of the relationship and importance of posture in speech therapy treatment.
The second part will include a prospective interventional clinical study with participants with and without pronunciation disorders. The evaluation measures will include: assessment of the pronunciation by a speech therapist, assessment of posture (mobile app), assessment of tongue position at rest and during pronunciation (observation and ultrasound), measurement of neck and upper limb muscle strength (manual dynamometer), tongue strength (digital measuring spoon), jaw closing muscle strength (Byte), breathing, and swallowing (observation).
The study group with pronunciation disorder will be divided into 2 groups: the intervention group will receive an exercise program to strengthen the neck and upper-limb muscles in addition to regular speech therapy treatments. The control group will receive the regular speech therapy treatments. The evaluation measures will be reviewed again at the end of the treatment series (up to 10 treatments).
205 studies on the registry are indexed under Speech; 80 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 52 across 141 interventional studies indexed under Speech.
Browse Speech studies →University of Haifa is the lead sponsor of 105 studies on the registry; 27 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
will receive speech therapy treatment and, in addition, exercises for the neck and upper extremities.
Other: speech therapy treatment and strengthening exercise
will receive regular speech therapy treatment according to their disorder
Other: speech therapy treatment
healthy control for baseline comparison, no treatment
regular treatment to enhance good pronunciation
speech therapy treatment and strengthening exercise
Treatment success
number of treatments until good pronunciation is achieved
Time frame: at completion of intervention - up to 10 weeks
neck muscle strength
flexion and side flexion neck muscle strength via hand held dynamometer. Recorded in kilograms of force (kgf)
Time frame: baseline, at completion of intervention - - up to 10 weeks
Tongue strength
Tongue strength will be assessed using a digital measuring spoon. Measurements will be recorded in g/cm2
Time frame: base line, at completion of intervention - - up to 10 weeks
Jaw closing strength
jaw closing strength via Byte device
Time frame: base line, at completion of intervention- - up to 10 weeks
Tongue thickness
Tongue thickness will be measured using ultrasonography. Measurements will be recorded in millimeters (cm).
Time frame: base line, at completion of intervention- - up to 10 weeks
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Jul 2026; primary completion for Jul 2028, 24 months later.
Of 85 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Speech, half reached primary completion within 45 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 65. This study's planned 24 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 90 studies reached it within 45 months; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 65.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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