Farsi-speaking Children Research Articles

Psychometric properties of the farsi version of the international trauma questionnaire -child and adolescent version (ITQ-CA) in a sample of iranian children and adolescents exposed to trauma

BackgroundThe International Trauma Questionnaire-Child and Adolescent Version (ITQ-CA) is a self-report measure for post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), corresponding to the diagnostic criteria in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11). While in the meantime the original English version of the ITQ-CA is available in different languages such as traditional and simplified Chinese, German, or Spanish, the Farsi was missing so far. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Farsi International Trauma Questionnaire-Child and Adolescent version (ITQ-CA) in a sample of Iranian children and adolescents objectively exposed to a traumatic event. MethodA total of 130 participants completed the Farsi form of the ITQ-CA and the Farsi Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) for comparison. For the psychometric evaluation, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bivariate correlations. ResultsThe Farsi version of ITQ-CA self-report form yielded scores with robust reliability (internal consistency ranging from 0.83 to 0.91, and the Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) varied from 0.74 to 0.92 with moderate, good, and excellent results) and adequate convergent validity (correlations with the CATS ranging from 0.49 to 0.77). CFA supported ICD-11 CPTSD symptom structure as a two-factor higher order model with PTSD. We found that the two-factor model fit the data better than the other measurement models (χ2/df = 43.492/37=1.175, RMSEA = 0.038, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.989, SRMR = 0.04.( ConclusionThe Farsi version of the ITQ-CA showed very good and satisfactory psychometric properties. As such, the Farsi ITQ-CA appears to be a valid and reliable self-rating measure to assess PTSD and DSO in Farsi-speaking children and adolescents exposed to traumas.

Assessment in Farsi–English Emerging Bilingual Children: A Tutorial

Purpose: Emerging bilingual children represent a diverse population with regard to their language learning histories and individual factors. When assessing a bilingual child, it is important to accurately differentiate typical second-language learning characteristics from differences that indicate a disorder. The Iranian scholarly and clinical communities have established essential linguistic norms and identified linguistic and nonlinguistic indicators of speech and language disorder in Farsi-speaking children. The community has also developed assessment tools that are useful when evaluating the language skills of bilingual Farsi-English–speaking children. Method: We present some relevant characteristics of the Farsi-speaking community and summarize the literature related to linguistic norms and the characteristics of the Farsi language, particularly related to the phonological and morphosyntactic structure of Farsi. To illustrate the diversity in bilingual children's profiles and the need for individualized assessment, we present two case studies of sequential emerging Farsi–English bilingual children. Results: We present the children's assessment results and report clinical indicators of a language disorder. The case examples are used to highlight several recommendations for conducting individualized and culturally sensitive assessments. Conclusions: This tutorial highlights the need for a comprehensive and individualized assessment of a bilingual child. Specific assessment tools and procedures are outlined to support clinicians in completing accurate and sensitive evaluations of Farsi–English bilingual children.

Developing a Serial Search Task to Evaluate Procedural Memory and Investigating the Relationship Between Procedural Memory and Grammar in Farsi-speaking Children: A Preliminary Study

Objective: Procedural memory is a key component of long-term memory that can be assessed in different modalities, such as verbal and motor. Learning through procedural memory occurs in three stages: initial learning, consolidation, and retention. Several tasks evaluate procedural memory, but none have concurrently studied procedural learning in various modalities and learning stages. Besides, according to the declarative-procedural model, there may be an association between the performance of individuals in procedural learning and their state of the grammar of a language. Therefore, this study aimed to design a Serial Search Task (SST) for the simultaneous evaluation of procedural memory in motor and verbal modalities during three stages of learning and determine its reliability. Moreover, the relationship between procedural memory and grammar skills was examined. Materials & Methods: This study is methodological research in the first stage and descriptive analytics in the second stage. First, based on the literature review and the opinions of three speech-language pathologists, some words with appropriate psycholinguistic features were chosen from the Persian picture naming set. Then, corresponding pictures were determined. The task was designed using Java programming language. The face validity of the task was evaluated, then after revisions, the reliability was determined. Face validity was assessed in 10 normal children, and the test-retest reliability was evaluated in 15 normal children aged 7-9 years; all of them were chosen using the convenience sampling method. In the second stage, to assess the relationship between grammatical skills and the SST, 20 normal children aged 7-9 years were selected by a mixed sampling method. Every child had exposed to a verbal modality in three stages: initial learning, consolidation (24 hours later), and retention (one week later). Then the same stages were performed in the motor modality. Each child's language skills were determined using the test of language development-primary (TOLD-P3), and the relationship between the two skills was determined. Statistical methods included the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The correlation values between two performances in the initial learning stage for the reaction time variable in verbal (r=0.84, P<0.001) and motor (r=0.80, P˂0.001) modalities and the variable of response accuracy in verbal (r=0.81, P=0.011) and motor (r=0.77, P=0.026) modalities were obtained. In the consolidation and retention stages, the correlation values for the reaction time variable in verbal (r=0.737, P=0.002) and motor (r=0.743, P=0.001) modalities and the variable of response accuracy in verbal (r=0.624, P=0.013) and motor (r=0.916, P<0.001) modalities were obtained. The relationship between grammar and procedural learning in the verbal modality was significant in the consolidation stage (P=0.045, CI:0.016-0.797, r=0.491). Conclusion: SST is a reliable task to assess different stages of procedural memory in both verbal and motor modalities. Therefore, this task can be used to evaluate procedural memory in normal children aged 7-9 years. The current study's findings confirmed the predictions made by the declarative-procedural model during the consolidation stage in the verbal modality.

Characteristics of Fictional Stories in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from the Farsi

Background: Narrative ability is a critical component of social communication essential for participating in everyday activities. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate problems in the narrative discourse, but little is known about the features of their fictional stories. Objectives: This study compared fictional narratives between ASD children and they’re typically developing (TD) peers. Methods: Fictional stories produced by 6- to-7-year-old males with high functioning autism (n = 14) were compared with language, sex, and age-matched TD children (n = 15). The stories were analyzed using the monitoring indicators of scholarly language. The macrostructure and microstructure elements, narrative complexity index, story knowledge index, and perspective-taking index were compared between the two groups by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the significance level of 0.05. Results: The scores of macrostructure and microstructure elements were lower in children with ASD. The ANOVA showed significant differences between ASD and TD children in three indices (P < 0.05). Moreover, the Pearson correlation coefficients between the total macrostructure and microstructure scores were close to one in both ASD (r = 0.89) and TD children (r = 0.93). Conclusions: Despite obtaining scores in the average range in a standard language test, Farsi-speaking children with ASD experience limitations in fictional narratives.

Developing a List of Expressive Vocabulary forFarsi-speakingChildrenAged24-48Months:Comparison Between Down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children

Introduction: Expressive vocabulary plays a vital role in child language development, and its assessment can be one of the essential indicators to identify language developmental delay, especially in children with Down syndrome. We developed a list of expressive vocabulary and compared the size and class of expressive vocabularies between typically developing and Down syndrome children. Materials and Methods: Expressive vocabulary of 150 children was examined in this study. A total of 120 typically developing Farsi-speaking children (in four age Groups, with a 6-month interval) and 30 children with Down syndrome (aged 24-48 months) participated in this study. The parents of the children filled out the form that included 636 words from different vocabulary classes. These classes were based on studies that investigated language development in Farsi-speaking children. Results: The expressive vocabulary size in Farsi-speaking children was significantly higher than in Down syndrome children (P≤0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls regarding expressive vocabulary size in two Groups of children. The size of nouns in all age Groups is more than other classes, and the size of conjunctions in all age Groups is less than the other ones. A direct correlation was found between age and the size of expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: According to the study findings, the list of expressive vocabulary can detect delays in developing expressive vocabulary.

Sentence Repetition in Farsi-English Bilingual Children

The current study aimed to create an assessment that can be used in the future to measure the language abilities of Farsi-speaking children in a clinical setting. A Farsi sentence-repetition task was created that included structures organised into three levels of complexity from least to most complex. Twenty typically developing Farsi-English bilingual children between the ages of 6;3–11;6 were recruited from Farsi schools in Toronto, Canada. Significant differences on the participants’ performance among the three levels were found with the lowest performance in the most complex sentences and the highest performance in the least complex ones. Specific structures appeared to be more challenging than others within each level of complexity. The children’s decreasing performance with increasing complexity and the evidence that specific structures are challenging within each level make the Farsi sentence repetition task a promising tool for assessing the language skills of Farsi-English speaking children.

Normalization of the Non-word Repetition Test in Farsi-speaking Children

Normalization of the Non-word Repetition Test in Farsi-speaking Children

Relationship between working memory and comprehension and expression of grammar in Farsi-speaking children with cochlear implants

ObjectivesGrammar is one of the most fundamental components of language and working memory (WM) is one of the most important cognitive features. These two skills play a vital role in learning, literacy and communication. Children with cochlear implants (CIs) experience delays in both of these skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these two skills in children with CIs. Subjects and methodsThe sample consisted of 20 Farsi-speaking children with CIs. WM was estimated by forward and backward auditory digit spans (FBS and BDS) from the Persian (Farsi) version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition. The comprehension of grammar by participants was evaluated using the Persian Syntax Comprehension Test. Grammar expression was assessed using the Photographic Expressive Persian Grammar Test. Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression were used for data analysis. ResultsThe results of linear regression and correlation showed a strong correlation between comprehension of grammar and FDS (r = 0.61; p = 0.004) was obtained, between BDS and comprehension of grammar (r = 0.161; p = 0.080). FDS and expression of grammar (r = 0.163; p = 0.222) showed a positive but insignificant correlation. ConclusionThe results indicate that WM decisively effects grammar. Enhancement of the phonological loop can improve grammar, especially comprehension of grammar. The effect of the central executive in grammar requires further research.

A look at the normal development of Pointing and Reaching Gestures in 12-16-Month-Old Farsi-Speaking Children: A Longitudinal Study.

Human beings can use gestures such as pointing and reaching to communicate with others before they have the ability to use verbal communication to produce speech. Given the importance of children's communication development and the key role of gestures development in communicating, the main purpose of this study was to analyze the normal development of pointing and reaching gestures and their relationship in 12-16-month-old children speaking Farsi. In this prospective, observational and longitudinal study the gestures of 11 monolingual Farsi-speaking children (7 boys and 4 girls, from Oct 2015 to Jan 2017 in the homes of participants across Tehran, Iran) were evaluated via non-randomized sampling method. Child-mother interactions were videotaped monthly in a semi-structured context to capture the emergence and consistent use of targeted gestures. Afterward, the data were coded and statistically analyzed for this purpose Repetitive measured; independent t-test and Pearson correlation were used. The mean of the pointing gesture increased significantly from 12 to 16 months (P<0.05). However, this was not significant for the reaching gesture. Moreover, there was no relationship between pointing and reaching gestures. Pointing gestures increase with age from 12-16 months in Farsi-speaking children. However, reaching gestures stay the same between 12-16 months of age. The study provided rich details of common gestures that children use to signal their intentions before verbal communication.

Early Metaphorical Communication: Farsi-Speaking Children Beginning to Learn Proverbs

Dominant trends of studies on child language and communication have been traditionally concerned with early words and syntax. Little attention has been paid to the emergence of metaphorical and discursive aspects of child language. However, beyond the scope of formal linguistics and traditional cognitive psychology, nonliteral language use is an integral aspect of language acquisition that needs to be dealt with in child language research. This study explores the emergence of proverbs (as complex instances of nonliteral communication) in the language of 6 and 8-year-old Farsi speaking children in two primary schools in Tehran. It is observed that the participants’ knowledge of common Farsi proverbs is beyond the expectations that may be hypothesized based on the existing thin body of literature on proverbs in children’s communication. This relatively early emergence of proverbs in the language of Farsi speaking children and its possible interpretations are discussed in this article.

The Production of Yes/No Questions, Wh-Questions, and Embedded Clauses as Functional Categories at the Initial Stage of Child L2 Acquisition

This is a longitudinal case study of two Farsi-speaking children learning English: ‘Bernard’ and ‘Melissa’, who were 7;4 and 8;4 at the start of data collection. The research deals with the presence or absence of functional categories (CP),in our case Yes/no questions, Wh-questions, and embedded clauses as well as their production rate in early stages of interlanguage development of the child second language (L2) acquisition of syntax. Some studies in the field of child second language acquisition regarding the production of functional categories (CP) are discussed. Examining data collected from the children’s spontaneous speech, the researcher’s diaries and translation and other tasks over a period of 20 months, the competing claims of the two most prominent hypotheses about early L2 grammars are tested: Vainikka&amp; Young-Scholten’s (1996) Minimal Trees/Structure Building hypothesis and Schwartz &amp; Sprouse’s (1996). Full Transfer/Full Access hypothesis. The conclusion is reached that Yes/no questions, Wh-questions, and embedded clauses as three functional categories are absent in early stages of interlanguage development of the child L2acquisition.Keywords: Functional categories, Child L2 acquisition, Minimal Trees/Structure Building hypothesis, Full transfer/fullaccess hypothesis, Yes/no questions and Wh-questions, Embedded clauses

Language sample analysis: development of a valid language assessment tool and determining the reliability of outcome measures for Farsi-speaking children

The present study determined how to elicit language samples from Farsi-speaking children, which language measures should be analysed, and whether these analyses are reliable. Two valid sets of picture stories were developed to elicit the language samples. Language measures were chosen by a panel of experts and the reliability of the measures was verified by test–retest reliability. The subjects were children 5–6 years of age (N = 30) who told stories twice at a 7–10 day interval. The results of inter-rater reliability showed that consistency of measurement was high for the transcription and analysis of the stories. The results of test–retest reliability showed there was a correlation between most variables in the longer samples (p < .05). This study demonstrates that language ability can be more reliably assessed when longer language samples are collected.

Working memory in Farsi-speaking children with normal development and cochlear implant

Aim and backgroundWorking memory has an important role in language acquisition and development of cognition skills. The ability of encoding, storage and retrieval of phonological codes, as activities of working memory, acquired by audition sense. Children with cochlear implant experience a period that they are not able to perceive sounds. In order to assess the effect of hearing on working memory, we investigated working memory as a cognition skill in children with normal development and cochlear implant. MethodsFifty students with normal hearing and 50 students with cochlear implant aged 5–7 years participated in this study. Children educated in the preschool, the first and second grades. Children with normal development were matched based on age, gender, and grade of education with cochlear implant.Two components of working memory including phonological loop and central executive were compared between two groups. Phonological loop assessed by nonword repetition task and forward digit span. To assess central executive component backward digit span was used. The developmental trend was studied in children with normal development and cochlear implant as well. The effect of age at implantation in children with cochlear implants on components of working memory was investigated. ResultsThere are significant differences between children with normal development and cochlear implant in all tasks that assess working memory (p<0.001). The children's age at implantation was negatively correlated with all tasks (p<0.001). In contrast, duration of usage of cochlear implant set was positively correlated with all tasks (p<0.001). The comparison of working memory between different grades showed significant differences both in children with normal development and in children with cochlear implant (p<0.05). ConclusionThese results implied that children with cochlear implant may experience difficulties in working memory. Therefore, these children have problems in encoding, practicing, and repeating phonological units. The results also suggested working memory develops when the child grows up. In cochlear implant children, with decreasing age at implantation and increasing their experience in perceiving sound, working memory skills improved.

Evaluating Intra- and inter-rater reliability for "Cleft palate speech assessment test based on universal parameters system- in Persian"

Introduction: palate is one of the most common congenital birth defects. Individuals with cleft palate have certain speech characteristics that can be identified perceptually by speech-language pathologists. Perceptual assessment has been regarded to as the gold standard for evaluating cleft palate speech. Considering the prevalence of cleft palate and its related speech characteristics, it is necessary for clinicians to use a reliable test for perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech errors. The aim of this study was to evaluate Intra- and inter-rater reliabilities for a recently developed assessment tool named Cleft palate speech assessment test based on universal parameters system– Farsi version. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study, speech samples obtained from 34 five-to-nine-year-old Farsi-speaking children with cleft palate who were referred to Isfahan cleft palate clinic were rated by two speech-language pathologists (one of them was considered as a naive and the other one as an expert rater). Two months later, 30% of the same speech samples were randomly selected and rerated by the same raters. Speech materials included 40 single words and 17 sentences along with a sample of connected speech. Intra- and inter-rater reliability measures were calculated via Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Results: Mean Intra-rater reliability measured by ICC was found to be 0.967 and 0.971 for the naive and expert raters respectively. Mean Inter-rater reliability was 0.957 as measured by ICC. Conclusion: This test has an acceptable Intra and inter-rater reliability to be used in assessment of cleft palate speech and can be applied in those studies aimed at evaluating different aspects of speech in Farsi-speaking children with cleft palate aged from 5 to 9 years. Keywords: palate, Reliability, Perceptual speech assessment, Universal parameters system

STUDY OF DEVELOPMENTAL CONSONANT CLUSTER IN 2-4 YEARS OLD FARSI SPEAKING CHILDREN

Introduction: A consonant cluster is defined as a group or sequence of consonants that appear together in a syllable without any intervening vowel between them. The age of acquisition of consonant clusters is of special important. The ability to produce consonant clusters is reported to emerge when children are around 2 years of age. These early attempts usually result in simplified clusters which are eventually elaborated into correct clusters. The aim of the present study was to determine the acquisition age of some consonant clusters and their developmental patterns in Farsi-speaking children. Materials and Methods: 120 normal Farsi-speaking children with the age range of 2 to 4 years who lived in Isfahan at the time of experiment participated in this descriptive study. In the present study, the ability to produce clusters was evaluated through picture naming. An assessment tool was tailor-made for this research and it consisted of 24 words with cvcc structure. Results: Study results showed that the age of acquisition for mp and nd was 2.7-3 years. Xt, sk, sb, ∫k, st, ft, st, ∫t, ks, bz, f∫, ng and ∫m was acquired at 3 to 3.6 years and rs, rm, rf, rg, rd, rx, tr were appeared between 3.7 to 4 years. Conclusion: Results indicated that age of acquisition was started around 2.5. Considering the sequence of acquired clusters, it was revealed that clusters were developed in parallel with consonant development. In other words, consonant clusters containing stop and nasal consonant are acquired before other clusters . Key words: Consonant clusters, Age of acquisition, Developmental Pattern, Farsi language

Development of Phonetic inventory in 2-to-6 year-old Farsi speaking children

Introduction: Children say the first words in the end of their first year of life. As children grow, the number of words and phonemes in their phonetic inventory increases.The first appearing consonants in the children's phonetic inventory are nasal, plosive, fricative, labial and lingual phonemes. The older a child, the more his/her usage of various types of consonants.In order to make a decision about the appropriateness of children's speech, speech and language pathologists need the evidence that comes from the studies focusing on different aspects of speech development. The aim of the present study was to determine the acquisition age of consonants in Farsi- speaking children. Materials and Methods: The present research was a cross-sectional descriptive - analytic study. Speech samples of 96 2-6 year-old Farsi-speaking children who lived in Tehran (Iran) were recorded and then analyzed. Through 44 pictures, 22 consonants of Farsi were studied in final and first positions of mono and two syllabic words. Results: Nasal and plosive bilabial consonants /b/, /p/, and /m/ were the first consonants pronounced correctly in both positions of words by 2-2/5 year-old children. The fricative and affricative consonants / A¾ / and / Aµ / were the last ones emerged correctly in both positions, that is to say, after the 4 th year of life. According to the Regression test results, this hypothesis that the number of children's consonantal errors decreases as they grow, was confirmed . Conclusion : By the 4 th year of their life, Farsi-speaking children can correctly produce all consonants in both final and first positions of mono and two syllabic words except / A¾ /, /Aµ /. These findings are consistent with the similar studies done in English language. Fricatives are also the most difficult consonants in English language.