FIDELITY
Research type
Research Study
Full title
FIDELITY: Feasibility of Internet DELivery of Intensive TherapY for children with motor speech disorders and cerebral palsy
IRAS ID
147328
Contact name
Lindsay Pennington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Two recent preliminary trials of a therapy to improve the speech intelligibility of children with cerebral palsy showed very promising results. Children rated the treatment highly and school staff and naive listeners understood the children better after therapy. This study will test if it is feasible to deliver the therapy via the internet, using Skype, and if families agree to take part in a study in which they are randomly allocated to the new treatment or treatment as usual, if they can receive the new therapy at the end of a research study.
We will study up to 24 young children who have speech disorder as part of their cerebral palsy. The children will be randomly allocated to receive either treatment as usual or six weeks of individual therapy, given three times per week by a research therapist over the internet. Children’s speech will be recorded at five time points: six weeks and one week before therapy starts; one, six and twelve weeks after therapy has finished. Children will be recorded repeating single words and saying short sentences. Children and their parents will be interviewed about their experiences of receiving the therapy via the internet and about taking part in the study. Families randomised to receive treatment as usual will be offered the new therapy at the end of the study.
The study will inform the development of a pragmatic controlled trial to test the general effectiveness of the therapy for children with speech disorders and cerebral palsy, showing how the therapy should be delivered.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/YH/0058
Date of REC Opinion
21 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion