Developing and Examining the Psychometrics of Single-word Quick Repetition Test for Speech Sound Production in Persian-speaking Children

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aimed to develop and validate a quick repetition test using familiar and culture-based words for assessing Persian-speaking children with Speech Sound Disorders (SSDs). Methods: The study sample was divided into two groups, including 419 participants without any clinical signs of speech impairment and 36 cases with SSD. The psychometric properties of the single word quick repetition test, including reliability (inter-rater and test-retest reliability) and validity (construct, discriminant, convergent, clinical and concurrent validity) were examined. Moreover, the descriptive data for children without SSD were reported. Results: The obtained test-retest and inter-rater reliability data were satisfactory with Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC): >0.7. There was a positive correlation between the results of the quick repetition test and phonetic test, indicating the scale’s acceptable convergence validity. Using inflated beta-binomial regression, statistically significant improvement in test score was found with age (discriminant validity). Comparing the correct responses of the control and case groups (clinical validity) revealed a significant difference in responses between the study groups. Results of Bland–Altman plot suggested an acceptable agreement between quick repetition test and phonetic test (construct validity). Discussion: The Persian quick repetition test is a valid and reliable instrument facilitating the screening of speech sound abilities in 3-8-year-olds. Moreover, this test’s conciseness makes it easily applicable in clinical practice and epidemiologic investigations. Establishing descriptive data from a large sample facilitated comparing children’s speech ability to the speech development standards.

Prevalence of tongue-tie and evaluation of speech sound disorder in young children

“…In the current study, it seems that problems in the articulation of sounds are not due to the age of consonant acquisition in children: among the consonants whose mastery ages are high, there exists consonants where the results did not show any statistical differences between two groups; for example, /ʒ/ which its mastery age in the Persian language for initial position is up to 5 years and for final position is up to 6 [23], while for some other consonants with the same age of mastery in articulation, like /z/, results showed a significantly different between two groups. Similarly, for the consonants with a low age of mastery, in some cases the results revealed a dif- ference between the two groups, for instance, in the case of /t/ with the mastery age of 3 in Persian language [23]. Whereas /n/ with the same age of mastery had no significant difference between children with and without tongue-tie.…”

“…The first aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of tongue-tie in three-to six-year-old Persianspeaking children. Due to the conflicting results on the effect of tongue tie on oral speech production, the second aim of this study was to evaluate the speech sounds of children with tongue-tie using a standardized speech sound disorder test [23] and compare them with those without this complication.…”