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Development of a Speech Intelligibility Test for Children in Swiss German Dialects
Christoph Schmid1,2, Stefanie Blatter3, Eberhard Seifert1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Inselspital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
Objective:
This paper describes the development of a speech intelligibility test in Swiss German dialects, designed for children aged four to nine who are not yet familiar with standard German.
Method:
Suitable monosyllabic words and trochees in different Swiss German dialects were compiled, illustrated, and evaluated. Picture-pointing test procedures appropriate for children were developed. The selected test words and the pictures representing them were evaluated in a preliminary trial with forty-six normal-hearing children between two and nine years of age.
Results:
A set of 60 monosyllabic words and 40 trochees was recorded in four different Swiss German dialects as well as in standard German, resulting in a total of 500 recordings. Drawings were created to illustrate each word and found to be appropriate for children aged four years old or older. A non-adaptive and an adaptive test procedure using a weighted up-down method to measure speech reception thresholds in quiet and in noise were developed.
Conclusions:
A novel test to determine speech intelligibility in children in four different Swiss dialects was developed and evaluated in a pilot study. A validation study with more participants was designed to evaluate the test material and procedures.
