Speech-language pathologists' perspectives on a prototype of the first Ghanaian-English speech and language assessment tool

Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe ^1,2, Sarah Elizabeth Verdon ¹, Laura Hoffman ¹

⁰School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Science & Health, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia.

International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology +

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August 21, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Ghanaian speech-language pathologists provided feedback on a new Ghanaian-English speech and language assessment tool. The tool is seen as comprehensive, but requires cultural adaptation for accurate child assessments.

Area Of Science

Speech-language pathology
Linguistic assessment
Cross-cultural psychology

Background

Culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools are crucial for accurate diagnosis of speech and language disorders.
Ghanaian speech-language pathologists currently lack suitable tools for assessing children.
Developing context-specific assessment instruments is vital in multilingual settings.

Purpose Of The Study

To gather Ghanaian speech-language pathologists' views on a prototype Ghanaian-English speech and language assessment tool.
To inform the development of culturally appropriate assessment tools for Ghanaian children.
To address the need for specialized diagnostic instruments in Ghana.

Main Methods

Focus groups were conducted with eleven Ghanaian speech-language pathologists.
A prototype Ghanaian-English assessment tool, including a caregiver's questionnaire and six subtests for ages 5-10, was used.
Inductive content analysis was applied to the qualitative data.

Main Results

Speech-language pathologists identified the tool as comprehensive, innovative, and easy to administer.
Participants emphasized the need for cultural appropriateness in test administration, stimuli, and questionnaires.
Specific suggestions for adapting the tool to the Ghanaian context were provided.

Conclusions

The study contributes to the development of a culturally appropriate speech and language assessment tool for Ghana.
Findings highlight the importance of user feedback in creating effective diagnostic instruments for diverse populations.
This research supports the growing body of evidence on developing assessments for multilingual contexts.

Keywords:

Culturally appropriate assessment Ghana focus group linguistically and culturally diverse multilingual speech and language