NCT06831396

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Aided Articulation Therapy for Children With Speech Sound Disorders

Communication in Children With or Without Biomedical Conditions: Speech and Language Profile, Related Outcomes and Articulation Treatment With Ultrasound

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This prospective randomized controlled trial investigates the effect of ultrasound visual biofeedback as an adjunct to articulation therapy in children with speech sound disorders involving lingual targets. The intervention aims to facilitate acquisition of misarticulated sounds by providing real-time visualization of tongue movements. Participants are randomized 1:1 to immediate treatment or wait-list control, with stratification by disorder type, age, and gender where feasible. The wait-list control group continues usual care for 4 weeks before crossing over to receive the same intervention (ethical crossover design).

Conditions

• Speech Sound Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Ultrasound-aided articulation therapy	The intervention under investigation is a motor-phonetic approach to articulation therapy, enhanced with ultrasound visual biofeedback (UVBF). The treatment group will receive the intervention immediately, while the waitlist control group will receive treatment after the initial group completes the study. This design allows for comparative outcome assessments between both groups, ensuring that all participants ultimately receive treatment.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-11-11
• Primary completion: 2026-08-30
• Completion: 2026-10-30
• First posted: 2025-02-18
• Last updated: 2026-03-10

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong