IMplemented by Parents And Carers Therapy (IMPACT Trial)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
IMPACT (IMplemented by Parents And Carers Therapy) trial: A multicentre randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a parent-implemented therapy on language development in deaf children with cochlear implants
IRAS ID
344537
Contact name
Douglas Hartley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
To find out whether parent participation in a training course called “It Takes Two to Talk” (ITTT), in addition to standard NHS care, can improve language development in deaf children with cochlear implants. Whilst most deaf children benefit from cochlear implants (CIs), they often fall behind in their language development. Through standard NHS care, these children receive speech and language therapy directly from the clinicians who look after them. However, this standard treatment overlooks parents as a valuable resource to improve their child’s language skills. It is known that parent training courses, such as ITTT, improve language development in children with normal hearing, and there is a suggestion that ITTT similarly benefits deaf children with CIs. Currently, these parent training courses, that can now be delivered online at relatively low cost, are not provided by the NHS. 158 families of children with CIs will be recruited from 10 clinics across the UK. After consenting to take part, they will be given either: ITTT training alongside their standard NHS care, or standard NHS care alone. A computer will choose, at random, which of these the family receives. We will measure language development in both groups of children. We predict children of families who receive ITTT training will have better language skills than those who do not. Little is currently known about the ways in which parent training courses might help language development. Knowing more about this could inform better treatments for deaf children in future. We will also assess whether ITTT training influences a child’s interactions with their parents, their behavioural, emotional and social growth, and developmental milestones. Non-English-speaking families won't participate in the trial. However, we'll conduct extra research to look at how to include these families effectively in the ITTT program.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0236
Date of REC Opinion
28 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion