Evidence mapPaperPMID 42346830Full record

Trial reportMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Virtual Reality-Supported Speech Therapy in Children with Developmental Language Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Carmela De Domenico, Margherita La Fauci, Noemi Mancuso, Mariarita Caputo, Marcella Di Cara, Adriana Piccolo, Alessia Fulgenzi, Daniele Borzelli, Caterina Impallomeni, Emanuela Tripodi and 3 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07438639 (A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality-Supported Speech Therapy in Preschool Children With Developmental Language Disorder), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07438639 naenrolling by invitationnot on this map

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality-Supported Speech Therapy in Preschool Children With Developmental Language Disorder

TypeinterventionalSponsorIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino PulejoRan2023 to 2026Enrolled100ConditionsLanguage Development DisordersArmsVirtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS), Taditional Speech Therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Carmela De DomenicoIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0009-0007-8868-8485
Margherita La FauciIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Noemi MancusoIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Mariarita CaputoIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Marcella Di CaraIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4275-4340
Adriana PiccoloIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Alessia FulgenziIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0009-0000-4028-1407
Daniele BorzelliLaboratory of Physiology, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9456-0177
Caterina ImpallomeniIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Emanuela TripodiIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Rocco Salvatore CalabròIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8566-3166
Angelo QuartaroneIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Francesca CucinottaIRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8477-7826

Funding

Ministero della Salute
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesDigital technologies are increasingly explored as complementary tools in speech and language therapy for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, evidence on virtual reality-based interventions for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS)-based language intervention combined with standard speech therapy in preschool children with DLD. Secondary objectives included assessing the feasibility, usability, and safety of the VRRS-integrated intervention.

methodsA randomized controlled pilot study was conducted in preschool children diagnosed with DLD. Participants were allocated to an experimental group receiving VRRS-based language intervention integrated with conventional therapy or to a control group receiving standard speech therapy alone. Both groups attended two 60 min sessions per week for six months. Clinical language outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). Feasibility was evaluated through adherence and retention rates, usability through a therapist-completed questionnaire, and safety through monitoring of adverse events during sessions.

resultsAll participants in the experimental group completed the intervention (100% retention). No adverse events were observed. Therapists reported good usability of the VRRS system, highlighting ease of exercise customization, intuitive monitoring of progress, and good integration into routine therapy.

conclusionsVRRS-based activities integrated into conventional speech therapy appear feasible, safe, and well accepted in preschool children with DLD. Further controlled studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07438639).

Indexed as

Language Development DisordersSpeech TherapyVirtual RealityChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansLanguage TherapyMalePilot ProjectsTreatment Outcomedevelopmental language disorderneurodevelopmental disordersspeech therapy interventionvirtual reality rehabilitation system

Identifiers

PMID42346830
PMCPMC13304140

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.