Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundSpecific learning disorder (SLD) of reading skills impacts approximately 7% of children. Speech and reading therapy is currently the gold-standard intervention for improving children’s reading abilities. However, intensive interventions are difficult to implement. R...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Charline Grossard, Mélanie Descamps, Sara Cadoni, Hugues Pellerin, François Vonthron, Jean Xavier, Bruno Falissard, David Cohen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-04-01
Series:JMIR Research Protocols
Online Access:https://www.researchprotocols.org/2025/1/e71326
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849704012225445888
author Charline Grossard
Mélanie Descamps
Sara Cadoni
Hugues Pellerin
François Vonthron
Jean Xavier
Bruno Falissard
David Cohen
author_facet Charline Grossard
Mélanie Descamps
Sara Cadoni
Hugues Pellerin
François Vonthron
Jean Xavier
Bruno Falissard
David Cohen
author_sort Charline Grossard
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundSpecific learning disorder (SLD) of reading skills impacts approximately 7% of children. Speech and reading therapy is currently the gold-standard intervention for improving children’s reading abilities. However, intensive interventions are difficult to implement. Recently, numerous studies have investigated the interest of game- and home-based training approaches to enhance children’s motivation and facilitate intensive learning activities in home settings. The serious game Poppins Clinical integrates rhythm and specific written language exercises to improve reading skills in children with SLD. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the noninferiority of Poppins Clinical combined with a reading specialist session once every 2 weeks versus a reading specialist session every week, on the reading skills of children with SLD. MethodsA total of 306 children with dyslexia will be recruited for this study and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Children in the experimental group will use the serious game Poppins Clinical at home for 20 minutes, 5 days a week, and attend 1 reading therapy session every 2 weeks. The control group will participate in one reading therapy session per week. Poppins Clinical combines rhythm and language exercises integrated into an engaging game designed to maintain user motivation. We will use a noninferiority paradigm to assess the clinical impact of both interventions in terms of reading accuracy, reading speed, and reading comprehension. We will also investigate the evolution of phonological and visual-attentional skills. However, we will explore the impact of the protocol on parental stress and children’s perception of their difficulties. Finally, we will also assess the cost of medical care and the impact of introducing the serious game Poppins Clinical on reading therapy. To facilitate recruitment and ensure the representativeness of our sample, the evaluation of the children will be conducted via videoconference using standardized tests that have been adapted for videoconference administration. ResultsPatient recruitment is expected to start in December 2024, with study completion by the end of August 2025. ConclusionsThis study should allow us to assess the interest in using the serious game Poppins Clinical in addition to reading therapy to improve reading abilities in children with SLD. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06592911; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06592911 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/71326
format Article
id doaj-art-72b094d7ff404171b057df0dfc326b09
institution DOAJ
issn 1929-0748
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher JMIR Publications
record_format Article
series JMIR Research Protocols
spelling doaj-art-72b094d7ff404171b057df0dfc326b092025-08-20T03:16:57ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Research Protocols1929-07482025-04-0114e7132610.2196/71326Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled TrialCharline Grossardhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4850-828XMélanie Descampshttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6439-3833Sara Cadonihttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-3071-7258Hugues Pellerinhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-4974-9917François Vonthronhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9680-3371Jean Xavierhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0104-5262Bruno Falissardhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2418-4954David Cohenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3321-7375 BackgroundSpecific learning disorder (SLD) of reading skills impacts approximately 7% of children. Speech and reading therapy is currently the gold-standard intervention for improving children’s reading abilities. However, intensive interventions are difficult to implement. Recently, numerous studies have investigated the interest of game- and home-based training approaches to enhance children’s motivation and facilitate intensive learning activities in home settings. The serious game Poppins Clinical integrates rhythm and specific written language exercises to improve reading skills in children with SLD. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the noninferiority of Poppins Clinical combined with a reading specialist session once every 2 weeks versus a reading specialist session every week, on the reading skills of children with SLD. MethodsA total of 306 children with dyslexia will be recruited for this study and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Children in the experimental group will use the serious game Poppins Clinical at home for 20 minutes, 5 days a week, and attend 1 reading therapy session every 2 weeks. The control group will participate in one reading therapy session per week. Poppins Clinical combines rhythm and language exercises integrated into an engaging game designed to maintain user motivation. We will use a noninferiority paradigm to assess the clinical impact of both interventions in terms of reading accuracy, reading speed, and reading comprehension. We will also investigate the evolution of phonological and visual-attentional skills. However, we will explore the impact of the protocol on parental stress and children’s perception of their difficulties. Finally, we will also assess the cost of medical care and the impact of introducing the serious game Poppins Clinical on reading therapy. To facilitate recruitment and ensure the representativeness of our sample, the evaluation of the children will be conducted via videoconference using standardized tests that have been adapted for videoconference administration. ResultsPatient recruitment is expected to start in December 2024, with study completion by the end of August 2025. ConclusionsThis study should allow us to assess the interest in using the serious game Poppins Clinical in addition to reading therapy to improve reading abilities in children with SLD. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06592911; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06592911 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/71326https://www.researchprotocols.org/2025/1/e71326
spellingShingle Charline Grossard
Mélanie Descamps
Sara Cadoni
Hugues Pellerin
François Vonthron
Jean Xavier
Bruno Falissard
David Cohen
Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
JMIR Research Protocols
title Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
title_full Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
title_fullStr Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
title_short Assessing the Noninferiority of a Rhythm and Language Training Serious Game Combined With Speech Therapy Versus Speech Therapy Care for Children With Dyslexia: Protocol for an Investigator-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
title_sort assessing the noninferiority of a rhythm and language training serious game combined with speech therapy versus speech therapy care for children with dyslexia protocol for an investigator blinded randomized controlled trial
url https://www.researchprotocols.org/2025/1/e71326
work_keys_str_mv AT charlinegrossard assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT melaniedescamps assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT saracadoni assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT huguespellerin assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT francoisvonthron assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT jeanxavier assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT brunofalissard assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial
AT davidcohen assessingthenoninferiorityofarhythmandlanguagetrainingseriousgamecombinedwithspeechtherapyversusspeechtherapycareforchildrenwithdyslexiaprotocolforaninvestigatorblindedrandomizedcontrolledtrial