Speech Intelligibility of Flemish Children as Judged by Their Parents

Vol. 61, No. 5, 2009

Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 185 KB)

Original Paper

Speech Intelligibility of Flemish Children as Judged by Their Parents
N.L.H. Baudonck^{a, b}, R. Buekers^c, S. Gillebert^a, K.M. Van Lierde^a

^aDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Ghent, Ghent, and
^bAspirant Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen, Brussels, Belgium;
^cAudiological Centre, Hoensbroeck, The Netherlands

Address of Corresponding Author

Folia Phoniatr Logop 2009;61:288-295 (DOI: 10.1159/000235994)

Key Words

Speech intelligibility
Child speech
Judgement of parents
Normative values

Abstract

Objective: Reduced intelligibility is a central concern in speech-impaired children, especially for parents. The main purpose of this study was to develop normative data for the intelligibility of Flemish-speaking boys and girls (age 2;06-5;0 years) as judged by their parents. Additionally, the influence of familiarity, gender and age of the child was determined. Patients and Methods: Word, sentence and story productions of 163 healthy children (83 boys and 80 girls) between 2;06 and 5;0 years were transcribed by their own parents. Speech intelligibility was determined according to the intelligibility index described by Shriberg. Additionally, a panel of 12 unfamiliar judges listened to the recordings of a subgroup of 24 randomly selected children. Results: Speech intelligibility improved with increasing age and was around 90% for children aged 4;6-5;0 years. Boys and girls performed equally on the task. For the intelligibility of words, mothers scored significantly better than unfamiliar listeners did. Conclusion: The reported normative speech intelligibility data provide important reference information for speech pathologists who assess child speech. Moreover, it enables them to measure the effect of a specific therapeutic approach and the spontaneous transfer to daily speech.

Author Contacts

Nele Baudonck
UZ Gent 2P1, Dienst logopedie
De Pintelaan 185
BE-9000 Gent (Belgium)
Tel. +32 9 332 44 62, Fax +32 9 332 49 93, E-Mail nele.baudonck@ugent.be

Article Information

Published online: September 5, 2009
Number of Print Pages : 8
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 6, Number of References : 30

Medline Abstract (ID 19738387)

Download Citation

For non-native English speakers and international authors who would like assistance with their writing before submission, we suggest American Journal Experts for their scientific editing service.