1- Department of Speech Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Paediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Centre, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (3736 Views)
Objectives: The prelinguistic skills which pave the way for language development have always been an area of research in the Speech Therapy field. Although studying these skills is important, there is a study gap among Persian children. Therefore, this study explored prelinguistic skills among a sample of Persian-speaking children aged 6 to 24 months and made a comparison between different age groups. We also studied the effects of gender and family history of speech-language disorders on children’s prelinguistic abilities.
Methods: In the present study, 277 mothers of Iranian Persian-speaking children aged 6 to 24 months were asked to fill a research-made checklist that evaluated the prelinguistic skills of their children. This study was cross-sectional and was conducted in Tehran City, Iran, in 2021. Children’s abilities in different age groups were compared using the analysis of variance (ANOVA), Scheffe test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the post-hoc test. The differences between the total scores of the two genders were also determined using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: Comparing the prelinguistic skills in different age groups indicated a statistically significant increase in the scores as children grow up. Children with a positive family history of speech-language disorders scored lower on the checklist than the others (91.03±17.37). Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences between the two genders in developing gesture, vocalization, first words, social interaction, imitation, and play; girls had higher scores.
Conclusion: Based on the studies conducted in different countries, prelinguistic skills develop as children grow up; these skills facilitate language acquisition and other social skills. The present study also demonstrated the development of these skills alongside children’s development. This similarity between Persian-speaking children and other children from different cultures and languages, as well as better performance in children with a negative family history of speech-language impairments, confirm the role of genetic factors in children’s development. Moreover, the differences in the development of some prelinguistic skills between girls and boys reveal the impact of various factors, such as social factors, on prelinguistic skills development.
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● Six to 24 months old children have different abilities in terms of prelinguistic skills.
● There are differences between girls and boys regarding prelinguistic skills, such as gesture, vocalization, first word, social interaction, imitation, and play.
● Children develop their communicational skills in the prelinguistic stage as they grow up.
● Positive family history of speech-language disorders affects children’s performance in the prelinguistic stage.
Plain Language Summary
Children develop prelinguistic skills before learning to use language. Prelinguistic skills are the only ways that children can communicate with their parents before expressing their first words. For example, pointing at something is a prelinguistic skill, which provides a foundation for language learning. Studying these skills is very important because it gives us more information about the prerequisites of language learning and determining communication deficits at an early age. This study focused on the development of prelinguistic skills in Persian children aged 6 to 24 months. We found that these skills develop as children age and become more complex. Based on the results, a positive history of speech or language-related disorders in the family affects children’s prelinguistic skills. Also, we found some differences between girls and boys in developing these skills. Our findings provided helpful information about prelinguistic skills that can spot children at risk of communication disorders.
Article type:
Original Research Articles |
Subject:
Speech therapy Received: 2021/09/20 | Accepted: 2021/10/20 | Published: 2021/12/1
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