Phonological performance measured by speech severity indices compared with correlated factors

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Some factors seem to influence speech impairment among phonologically disordered children. The aim was to compare severity indices with some correlated factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational, analytical and cross-sectional study conducted within the Language-Speech-Hearing Sciences Course, Universidade de São Paulo. METHOD: Fifty phonologically disordered children with ages ranging from 4 to 11 years took part. The indices were calculated from phonology tests and were correlated with anamnesis and audiological data. Student’s t test and Spearman’s correlation were used to compare percentages of consonants correct (PCC) and process density index (PDI) for children with and without otitis, upper respiratory histories and audiological abnormalities, with regard to whether or not they were comprehended during assessment, their ages when they started to speak and their ages at the assessment. RESULTS: The higher the age at the assessment was, the higher the PCC (imitation: 0.468; naming: 0.431; Spearman’s correlation) and the lower the PDI (imitation: 0.459; naming: 0.431); the later the child started to speak, the lower the PCC (imitation p = 0.064; naming p = 0.050) and the higher the PDI (imitation p = 0.067; naming p = 0.042). There were differences between groups with and without upper respiratory history (PCC: imitation p = 0.016, naming p = 0.005; PDI: imitation p = 0.014, naming p = 0.008). There was no difference between the groups regarding otitis, comprehension during the assessment and audiological data. CONCLUSIONS: Children with upper respiratory histories who began to speak later presented more severe speech impairment indices.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Wertzner,Haydée Fiszbein, Amaro,Luciana, Galea,Daniela Evaristo dos Santos
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Associação Paulista de Medicina - APM 2007
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-31802007000600002
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