Unanalyzable Utterances in Language Sample Analysis Based on the P-LARSP: Preliminary Data of Typical Children Aged 18 - 60 Months

Abstract

Background: The Persian language assessment, remediation, and screening procedure (P-LARSP) is the first formal approach to the analysis of language samples. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the unanalyzable utterances and mean length of utterances (MLUs: morpheme/analyzable text units) based on the first two sections of the P-LARSP. Methods: Experienced speech and language pathologists (SLPs) collected and analyzed the 10-minute language samples from 96 typical children aged 18 - 60 months within the context of free play. The unanalyzable units included unintelligible utterances, symbolic noise, deviant, incomplete, ambiguous, and stereotyped units, repetition, and structurally abnormal text units. Results: No significant differences were observed between the age groups in terms of the total number of the text units (P > 0.05) and unanalyzable text units (P = 0.08). Analyzable text units (P = 0.008) and MLUs (P = 0.004) were significant across the age groups. In addition, each category of the unanalyzable text units had a specific pattern, and the percentage of the incomplete utterances increased significantly from 18 to 60 months of age (P = 0.002). Conclusions: By applying the first two sections of the P-LARSP, we could sieve the analyzable from the unanalyzable text units and demonstrate the increasing trend of MLUs across the age groups. Increased incomplete utterances with age should be considered by SLPs during intervention and evaluation.