Intelligibility in Context Scale: validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese version

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Psychometrics
• Pediatric Communication

Background:

• Assessing speech intelligibility in children is crucial for identifying communication disorders.
• The Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) is a valuable tool for evaluating intelligibility across different communication partners.
• Validation of the ICS for Brazilian-Portuguese speakers is needed to ensure its effective use in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS-BP).
• To assess the psychometric properties of the ICS-BP in a sample of Brazilian children.

Main Methods:

• Sixty children, including those with and without speech concerns, were assessed.
• The phonology subtest of the ABFW - Child Language Test was administered to calculate the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC).
• Parents completed the ICS-BP, and statistical analyses including correlation, regression, and ROC analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• Parents reported high mean ICS-BP scores (4.6/5), indicating good perceived intelligibility.
• The ICS-BP demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95).
• Significant positive correlations were found between ICS-BP scores and PCC (r = .790), with high sensitivity (0.98) and specificity (0.87).

Conclusions:

• The ICS-BP exhibits high psychometric values.
• This validated instrument is suitable for measuring the speech intelligibility of Brazilian children.
• The ICS-BP can aid in identifying children who may benefit from speech therapy interventions.