An interventional study of Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing in Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Genetic Condition, sponsored by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. Recruiting at 1 site in Australia. Open to participants aged 3 Years to 16 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.
Sponsored by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
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.
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:
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:
Treatment:
65 studies on the registry are indexed under Apraxias; 21 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 32 across 50 interventional studies indexed under Apraxias.
Browse Apraxias studies →Murdoch Childrens Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 99 studies on the registry; 34 are open to participants now.
Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (60%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
DTTC or ReST
Behavioral: Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment · Behavioral: Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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").
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.
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").
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.
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").
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.
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.
Time frame: Completed at end of 4 weeks
Plan to share: No
Started Jul 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 17 months after the start.
Of 30 interventional studies with no phase under Apraxias, half reached primary completion within 53 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 21 and three quarters within 59. This study's planned 17 months is below that.
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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute