Translation and validation of the LittlEARS early speech production questionnaire (LEESPQ), in Farsi-speaking
Mohammad Rezaei1, Foozieh Dehghani1, Diana Zegg2
1Autism spectrum disorders research center, Hamadan University of medical sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
Introduction:
The LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) assesses preverbal and early verbal communication in children from birth to 18 months. This study validates the Farsi LEESPQ for Iranian infants.
Methods:
The LEESPQ was translated into Farsi and back-translated for accuracy. Content validity was reviewed by experts. A sample of 180 monolingual Farsi-speaking infants (birth-18 months; 10 per month) with typical hearing completed the questionnaire via their parents. We evaluated internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity (correlation with age). Gender effects were also explored.
Results:
The Farsi LEESPQ showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.876). Age positively correlated with total scores ( 0.001), reflecting expected developmental progression. No significant gender differences were found. Age-specific normative percentile curves and minimal expected score thresholds were established.
Conclusions:
The Farsi LEESPQ is a reliable and valid tool for monitoring early speech development in Iranian infants up to 18 months, expanding applicability across linguistic and cultural contexts for early detection of delays.
