Phoniatric evaluation: relationships between a set of tests and academic difficulties

Area of Science:

• Otorhinolaryngology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Learning disabilities significantly impact a child's social development and future if not addressed early.
• Phoniatrics, a subspecialty of otorhinolaryngology, plays a crucial role in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing these cases.
• Early intervention and multidisciplinary diagnosis are vital for mitigating the negative social consequences of learning disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between phoniatric assessment tests and reported academic difficulties in school-aged children.
• To determine which specific phoniatric tests are most strongly correlated with academic performance when administered individually.

Main Methods:

• A blind, cross-sectional study involving 66 third-grade elementary students.
• Phoniatric skill tests were administered, followed by educator questionnaires on academic difficulties.
• Student Portuguese language grades were collected and analyzed in conjunction with test results.

Main Results:

• Educators reported academic difficulties in 27.2% of the participating students.
• Significant associations were found between academic difficulties and tests including word/pseudoword dictation, rhyming, phonemic synthesis, and reading fluency.
• Multivariate analysis identified dictation of words, reading intonation, and comprehension of story morals as the strongest predictors of academic difficulty.

Conclusions:

• Dictation of words, reading intonation, and story moral comprehension are key indicators for identifying academic difficulties.
• While specific tests highlight academic challenges, the broader phoniatric assessment provides a holistic view of a child's abilities.
• Phoniatric evaluations contribute to a comprehensive understanding of a child's functioning beyond purely pedagogical aspects.