Development of the Jordanian Arabic early speech perception test

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Linguistics
• Pediatric Healthcare

Background:

• The Early Speech Perception (ESP) test is a standard tool for evaluating speech perception in hearing-impaired children.
• The Arabic language's diglossic nature necessitates culturally and linguistically adapted assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a Colloquial Jordanian Arabic version of the ESP test (JAESP).
• To evaluate the usefulness and appropriateness of the JAESP for young Jordanian children.

Main Methods:

• The JAESP test includes four categories: speech sound detection, speech pattern perception, disyllabic word identification, and monosyllabic word identification.
• Picture boards were developed, and two equivalent lists were created for each category.
• The test was administered to 43 typically hearing Jordanian children aged 3, 4, and 5 years.

Main Results:

• All age groups achieved high scores (98-100%) across all JAESP test materials.
• Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in performance between age groups or between the two test lists.

Conclusions:

• The developed JAESP test materials are appropriate for assessing speech perception in Jordanian children aged three years and older.
• Further research is recommended to confirm the validity of the JAESP for Jordanian children with hearing impairments.