Preschool children's performance on Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C)
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Fiona E Gibbon1, Heather Smyth
1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. f.gibbon@ucc.ie
Insights
This study explored the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) tool with 4-year-olds. Results show 4-year-olds score lower than older children, suggesting PEPS-C
Area of Science:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- The Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) is not widely utilized for assessing preschool children's prosodic abilities.
- Understanding prosodic development in early childhood is crucial for identifying potential communication disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the performance of typically developing 4-year-old children on the PEPS-C assessment.
- To establish normative data for 4-year-olds using the PEPS-C.
- To compare the prosodic abilities of 4-year-olds with those of older typically developing children (5-6 years old).
Main Methods:
- The PEPS-C was administered to 30 typically developing 4-year-olds in southern Ireland.
- Children were included if they provided analysable responses to over 95% of test items.
- Performance scores were compared against existing data from typically developing 5-6-year-olds.
Main Results:
- A majority (83%) of 4-year-olds successfully completed the PEPS-C.
- Children scored at chance or weak ability levels across all PEPS-C subtests.
- Four-year-olds demonstrated significantly lower scores than 5-6-year-olds on 8 out of 12 subtests.
Conclusions:
- The PEPS-C is a potentially valuable tool for assessing prosodic skills in young children.
- Findings suggest that 4-year-olds are still developing foundational prosodic abilities measured by PEPS-C.
- PEPS-C may aid in identifying developmental prosody issues in typically developing children and those with communication disorders.
Abstract:
Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) has not been used widely to assess prosodic abilities of preschool children. This study was therefore aimed at investigating typically developing 4-year-olds' performance on PEPS-C. PEPS-C was presented to 30 typically developing 4-year-olds recruited in southern Ireland. Children were judged to have completed the test if they produced analysable responses to >95% of the items. The children's scores were compared with data from typically developing 5-6-year-olds. The majority (83%) of 4-year-olds were able to complete the test. The children scored at chance or weak ability levels on all subtests. The 4-year-olds had lower scores than 5-6-year-olds in all subtests, apart from one, with the difference reaching statistical significance in 8 out of 12 subtests. The results indicate that PEPS-C could be a valuable tool for assessing prosody in young children with typical development and some groups of young children with communication disorders.
