Developmental Language DisorderNCT05678634
Optimizing Feedback-based Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder
A study testing Declarative learning with immediate feedback, Declarative learning with delayed feedback and Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback in people with Developmental Language Disorder, run by MGH Institute of Health Professions at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 to 12 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Developmental Language Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Declarative learning with immediate feedback, Declarative learning with delayed feedback and Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Jul 2023to 1 Oct 2027
- 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 8 to 12 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- English as the primary language Nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) score on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-5th Edition (WISC-V) Standard Score >70 Identification Core score on the Test of Integrated Language \& Literacy Skills (TILLS) equal to or less than 34
Who cannot join
- Hearing loss or other known neurological deficits, or diagnoses (e.g., Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury)
- Evidence of color blindness as measured by the EnChroma computer base color blindness screening test for children
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Boston, Massachusetts, 02129
Research Coordinator, (617) 724-7363, cnglead@mghihp.edu
Yael Arbel, PhD
About this study
This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the conditions under which feedback-based learning can be improved in DLD. The investigators hypothesize that the effectiveness of feedback can be significantly enhanced for children with DLD when it is tailored to their unique learning strengths. The rationale for this project is based on evidence that feedback-based learning can be improved by enhancing the dominance of an intact learning system. The project will achieve its aim by manipulating (1) the timing of the feedback (immediate vs. delayed) and (2) the level of the learner's involvement in error correction dictated by feedback (active vs. passive correction). Aim 1 will determine the effect of manipulating feedback timing on learning in 140 school-age children (8-12 years) with DLD. While immediate feedback is processed by the striatum, which is also implicated in implicit learning, delaying the feedback by a few seconds shifts feedback processing to the mediate temporal lobe (MTL)-based declarative learning system. Evidence that delaying feedback improves learning in DLD would support the hypothesis of the implicit deficit theory that intervention should capitalize on declarative learning mechanisms. The project will test a novel alternative feedback-learning parity hypothesis whereby feedback-based learning is optimized when the timing of the feedback is aligned with the dominant learning system at a given time (i.e., immediate feedback during striatal-based probabilistic learning; delayed feedback during MTL-based declarative learning). Within the same group of children, Aim 2 will compare feedback-based learning in children with DLD when feedback (a) prompts active self-correction or (b) passively exposes learners to error corrections (corrective recast). Children will engage in two nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks. In one task, feedback will promote active self-correction, which is in line with declarative learning. In the other task, feedback will passively expose the learner to corrective feedback in a manner consistent with teaching approaches aiming at reducing awareness of errors. The project will determine whether children with DLD learn better when feedback prompts self-correction or when they are exposed to passive corrections. Electrophysiological measures will indicate whether passive corrections (corrective recast) are processed as negative feedback by children with DLD. For both aims, behavioral indicators of response to feedback will be complemented by electrophysiological measures of feedback processing that can determine the involvement of the striatum and MTL brain systems during the learning process. This work is scientifically and clinically significant because elucidating what manipulations optimize feedback-based learning will enhance our understanding of the impaired learning mechanism in DLD and will provide clinical guidance on what type of feedback to use during an intervention.
- Conditions
- Developmental Language Disorder
- Being tested
- Declarative learning with immediate feedback, Declarative learning with delayed feedback, Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback, Probabilistic learning with delayed feedback, Word learning task with active feedback
- Medical subject headings
- Language Development Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Declarative learning with immediate feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a paired associate learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by performance feedback. Feedback will be provided 500 ms following a response (button press)
Declarative learning with delayed feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a paired associate learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by performance feedback. Feedback will be provided 5000 ms following a response (button press)
Probabilistic learning with immediate feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a probabilistic learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by feedback. Feedback will be provided 500 ms following a response (button press)
Probabilistic learning with delayed feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a probabilistic learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by feedback. Feedback will be provided 5000 ms following a response (button press)
Word learning task with active feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a two-choice nonword learning task in which they will be tasked with learning to associate novel objects with novel nonword names through trial and error guided by feedback. Each response will be followed by feedback either indicating that the response is correct or prompting the child to try again (i.e., to correct an error)
Word learning task with passive feedbackBehavioural
Children will complete a two-choice nonword learning task in which they will be tasked with learning to associate novel objects with novel nonword names. Regardless of response accuracy on each trial, each response will be followed by a visual presentation of the correct response.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Children with developmental language disorder | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Declarative learning with immediate feedback; Behavioral: Declarative learning with delayed feedback; Behavioral: Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback; Behavioral: Probabilistic learning with delayed feedback; Behavioral: Word learning task with active feedback; Behavioral: Word learning task with passive feedback |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Accuracy (percent correct) on a two-choice paired associate test immediately after the task
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test following each of the learning conditions. The structure of a test trial will be similar to the structure of a task trial but it will not include feedback. This measure will evaluate learning outcomes.
Measured: Immediately after learning task
Accuracy (percent correct) on a two-choice paired associate test 1 week after the task
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test a week after the completion of each learning task. The structure of a test trial will be similar to the structure of a task trial but it will not include feedback. This measure will evaluate learning retention.
Measured: 1 week after the learning task
FRN amplitude
The amplitude (in microvolts) of the feedback related negativity (FRN) event related potential
Measured: During each learning task
N170 amplitude
The amplitude (in microvolts) of the N170 event related potential
Measured: During each learning task
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jan 2023
- Study start20 Jul 2023
- Primary completion1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Developmental Language DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Yael Arbel, MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Investigators
- Yael Arbel, PhD, Principal investigator, MGH Institute of Health Professions
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05678634
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2022P003376
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Jan 2023
- Last updated
- 29 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Optimizing Feedback-based Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05678634
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2022P003376
- Conditions
- Developmental Language Disorder
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jan 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the conditions under which feedback-based learning can be improved in DLD. The investigators hypothesize that the effectiveness of feedback can be significantly enhanced for children with DLD when it is tailored to their unique learning strengths. The rationale for this project is based on evidence that feedback-based learning can be improved by enhancing the dominance of an intact learning system. The project will achieve its aim by manipulating (1) the timing of the feedback (immediate vs. delayed) and (2) the level of the learner's involvement in error correction dictated by feedback (active vs. passive correction). Aim 1 will determine the effect of manipulating feedback timing on learning in 140 school-age children (8-12 years) with DLD. While immediate feedback is processed by the striatum, which is also implicated in implicit learning, delaying the feedback by a few seconds shifts feedback processing to the mediate temporal lobe (MTL)-based declarative learning system. Evidence that delaying feedback improves learning in DLD would support the hypothesis of the implicit deficit theory that intervention should capitalize on declarative learning mechanisms. The project will test a novel alternative feedback-learning parity hypothesis whereby feedback-based learning is optimized when the timing of the feedback is aligned with the dominant learning system at a given time (i.e., immediate feedback during striatal-based probabilistic learning; delayed feedback during MTL-based declarative learning). Within the same group of children, Aim 2 will compare feedback-based learning in children with DLD when feedback (a) prompts active self-correction or (b) passively exposes learners to error corrections (corrective recast). Children will engage in two nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks. In one task, feedback will promote active self-correction, which is in line with declarative learning. In the other task, feedback will passively expose the learner to corrective feedback in a manner consistent with teaching approaches aiming at reducing awareness of errors. The project will determine whether children with DLD learn better when feedback prompts self-correction or when they are exposed to passive corrections. Electrophysiological measures will indicate whether passive corrections (corrective recast) are processed as negative feedback by children with DLD. For both aims, behavioral indicators of response to feedback will be complemented by electrophysiological measures of feedback processing that can determine the involvement of the striatum and MTL brain systems during the learning process. This work is scientifically and clinically significant because elucidating what manipulations optimize feedback-based learning will enhance our understanding of the impaired learning mechanism in DLD and will provide clinical guidance on what type of feedback to use during an intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Children with developmental language disorder | Experimental | Behavioral: Declarative learning with immediate feedback, Behavioral: Declarative learning with delayed feedback, Behavioral: Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback, Behavioral: Probabilistic learning with delayed feedback, Behavioral: Word learning task with active feedback, Behavioral: Word learning task with passive feedback |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 to 12 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- English as the primary language Nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) score on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-5th Edition (WISC-V) Standard Score >70 Identification Core score on the Test of Integrated Language \& Literacy Skills (TILLS) equal to or less than 34
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Hearing loss or other known neurological deficits, or diagnoses (e.g., Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury)
- Evidence of color blindness as measured by the EnChroma computer base color blindness screening test for children
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Declarative learning with immediate feedbackChildren will complete a paired associate learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by performance feedback. Feedback will be provided 500 ms following a response (button press) | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
| Declarative learning with delayed feedbackChildren will complete a paired associate learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by performance feedback. Feedback will be provided 5000 ms following a response (button press) | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
| Probabilistic learning with immediate feedbackChildren will complete a probabilistic learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by feedback. Feedback will be provided 500 ms following a response (button press) | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
| Probabilistic learning with delayed feedbackChildren will complete a probabilistic learning task on a computer. Each response on half of the blocks will be followed by feedback. Feedback will be provided 5000 ms following a response (button press) | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
| Word learning task with active feedbackChildren will complete a two-choice nonword learning task in which they will be tasked with learning to associate novel objects with novel nonword names through trial and error guided by feedback. Each response will be followed by feedback either indicating that the response is correct or prompting the child to try again (i.e., to correct an error) | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
| Word learning task with passive feedbackChildren will complete a two-choice nonword learning task in which they will be tasked with learning to associate novel objects with novel nonword names. Regardless of response accuracy on each trial, each response will be followed by a visual presentation of the correct response. | Behavioural | Children with developmental language disorder |
Primary outcome
Accuracy (percent correct) on a two-choice paired associate test immediately after the task
Time frame: Immediately after learning task
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test following each of the learning conditions. The structure of a test trial will be similar to the structure of a task trial but it will not include feedback. This measure will evaluate learning outcomes.
Accuracy (percent correct) on a two-choice paired associate test 1 week after the task
Time frame: 1 week after the learning task
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test a week after the completion of each learning task. The structure of a test trial will be similar to the structure of a task trial but it will not include feedback. This measure will evaluate learning retention.
FRN amplitude
Time frame: During each learning task
The amplitude (in microvolts) of the feedback related negativity (FRN) event related potential
N170 amplitude
Time frame: During each learning task
The amplitude (in microvolts) of the N170 event related potential
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Yael Arbel, PhD principal investigator
MGH Institute of Health Professions
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Declarative learning with immediate feedback, Declarative learning with delayed feedback and Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback in people with Developmental Language Disorder, run by MGH Institute of Health Professions at 1 site in United States.
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 2 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 29 May 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 United States. 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 research coordinator ((617) 724-7363, cnglead@mghihp.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Accuracy (percent correct) on a two-choice paired associate test immediately after the task (time frame: Immediately after learning task). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 29 May 2026.