Acquired Dyslexia Modeling and Treatment

BEHAVIORAL

Phono-Motor Therapy

Orthographic stimuli (letters) are introduced from the beginning as each phoneme is being trained. This maintains the focus on phonology, while emphasizing its relevance to reading. PMT consists of an initial phase focused on training of individual phonemes and phoneme sequences in spoken language, followed by written language tasks. English phonemes are first trained in isolation, followed by phoneme sequences in words and pseudowords. They are trained multi-modally through emphasis on auditory, motor, tactile-kinesthetic, visual, and orthographic representations for each consonant and vowel. When sequences are introduced, focus on phonology is maintained by training on pseudowords first before real words are introduced. Participants work on identifying, repeating, parsing, blending, and manipulating phonemes that make up the pseudoword and word stimuli. To maintain focus on phonology, pictures and definitions of the stimuli are never shown or discussed.

BEHAVIORAL

Semantic Feature Analysis

SFA activates semantic features of the target word to help retrieve the spoken form of the word. To target reading, a modified SFA is used with written words rather than pictures as the primary materials. Pictures are instead included for each word as a semantic feature. Stimuli will consist of 80 highly imageable nouns with a range of word frequencies. During treatment the therapist will present a written noun and ask the participant a series of questions about the features of that noun. For example, if the presented noun is "juice", the therapist would have the participant select the corresponding picture from an array of pictures. The therapist then would ask, "what do you do with it?" (eliciting a feature from the "function" category) and "where do you store it in your home?" (eliciting a feature from the "context" category). This is done for a total of 6 categories of semantic features. The process is repeated until the participant reads the noun correctly three times in a row.

Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - III

Time frame: Baseline, following the first 60 hours of therapy, and following the final 60 hours of therapy.

The WRMT-III is a standardized measure of reading skills.

Test words and pseudowords

Time frame: Baseline, following the first 60 hours of therapy, and following the final 60 hours of therapy.

Change in accuracy of reading 120 test words and 80 pseudowords

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a research study that tests new medical treatments, drugs, devices, or procedures to determine their safety and effectiveness. Trials are carefully designed and monitored to protect participants while advancing medical knowledge.

Is it safe to participate?

Clinical trials follow strict safety guidelines and ethical standards. Trials must be reviewed and approved, and participants are closely monitored by medical professionals throughout the study. You can withdraw at any time if you choose.

Will I be compensated?

Many clinical trials offer compensation for your time, travel expenses, and inconvenience. The specific compensation varies by study and will be discussed during the screening process. All study-related medical care is typically provided at no cost to participants.

Will I receive a placebo instead of treatment?

When effective treatment exists, participants typically receive either the standard treatment plus the study intervention, or the standard treatment plus placebo. You would not be denied effective care. Placebos are primarily used when no proven treatment is available, or in addition to standard care. Your trial consent form will clearly explain what treatments you may receive.

Can I leave a trial if I change my mind?

Absolutely. Participation in clinical trials is completely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

How long does a clinical trial last?

Trial duration varies widely depending on the study design and purpose. Some trials last just a few weeks, while others may continue for months or years. The study coordinator will provide specific timeline information during your screening call.