Prosodic Development During the Early School-Age Years.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Speech prosody, encompassing rhythm and intonation, undergoes significant development during childhood.
• Understanding normative changes in speech prosody is crucial for identifying potential developmental delays or disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate developmental changes in narrative speech rhythm and intonation in children.
• To provide a clinically relevant characterization of normative speech prosody changes during early school years (ages 5-9).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sequential design tracked 60 children annually for 3 years.
• Speech rhythm was assessed using articulation rate and prominence spacing; intonation was measured by pitch variability and range.
• Linear mixed-effects models and linear regression analyzed longitudinal and age-related changes.

Main Results:

• Speech rhythm showed systematic longitudinal development, with articulation rate increasing with age.
• No significant longitudinal changes were observed in intonation measures (pitch variability and range).
• No systematic differences were found between age cohorts across the study duration.

Conclusions:

• Speech rhythm development continues into the school-age years, influenced by speech motor skills.
• Current measures of pitch variability and range may not accurately reflect typical intonation development in this age group.
• Further research is needed to refine intonation assessment in school-aged children.