Teacher ratings of children's listening difficulties

Abstract

Children with developmental disorders may present with listening and/or speech discrimination difficulties. This study explores whether teachers can identify these difficulties, using a questionnaire that rates children's listening, speech discrimination and comprehension abilities. The questionnaire was given to class-teachers of 52 pupils, aged four to five years, who had failed at least one of two formal assessments of comprehension and speech discrimination. Results showed significant correlation between teacher ratings of verbal comprehension and attentive listening and test scores for verbal comprehension. There was no significant correlation between ratings and test scores for speech discrimination skills. The questionnaire's internal consistency was found to be reliable overall, but validity in measuring speech discrimination was poor.