Evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of Arabic SNAP test for children with hypernasality

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Acoustic Analysis
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Nasometry measures speech resonance using a nasometer.
• High nasalance scores indicate hypernasality; low scores suggest hyponasality.
• Establishing normative nasalance values for Egyptian Arabic speakers is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Arabic SNAP test.
• To differentiate between normal and hypernasal speech in Egyptian Arabic-speaking children.

Main Methods:

• Compared nasalance scores from the Arabic SNAP test in normal children (n=92) and children with velopharyngeal insufficiency (n=30).
• Utilized Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine optimal cutoff points for sensitivity and specificity.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in nasometric evaluation were found between groups (p<0.05) for most items.
• Specific cutoff points were identified, and key items were selected for routine evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The Arabic SNAP test demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for evaluating hypernasality in children.
• This tool is effective for both the diagnosis and follow-up management of hypernasality.