Intervention for verb argument structure in children with persistent SLI: A randomized control trial

Twenty-seven pupils with SLI (aged 11;0-16;1) participated in this randomized controlled trial with "blind" assessment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three therapy groups: Shape Coding, Semantic and Control. All pupils received nine weekly half hour individual therapy sessions. They were assessed on a specifically designed video test pre-therapy, post-therapy and at follow-up.
RESULTS: Pupils receiving the Shape Coding and Semantic therapies made significant progress (d>1.0), which was maintained at follow-up and generalized to control verbs. Both therapies improved linking of arguments to syntax and the Shape Coding therapy tended to increase use of optional arguments. Pupils receiving the Control therapy made no progress. 
CONCLUSION: Both methods of argument structure therapy were effective. Comparisons of their effectiveness in specific areas led to the hypotheses that the pupils' initial difficulties with linking resulted from ill-defined semantic representations, whereas their limited use of arguments may have resulted from syntactic difficulties. When therapy is theoretically grounded, it can inform theories, be time limited and effective for older children with SLI.

 Ebbels, S.H., van der Lely, H.K.J., and Dockrell, J.E. (2007). Intervention for verb argument structure in children with persistent SLI: a randomized control trial. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 50, 1330-1349.