Expressiv tal-och språkförmåga hos spädbarn : En påbörjad validering av föräldraformuläret LEESPQ och undersökning av skärmars eventuella påverkan på spädbarns expressiva språkförmåga

Sammanfattning: Background:Today, there are only limitedSwedishscreening materials that can be usedtoassess early speech and language development in infancy. Studies have shown that children with diagnoses likehearing impairment, developmental language disorder and/or autism-spectrum disordershow anearly delay in their speechdevelopment. They often have a later onset of babbling and use less babbling in general. By identifyingthese children atan early age, they can get the help and support they need earlier, which in turnwill benefittheir speech and language development to progress in a more age-appropriate way. The purpose of this study was to validate the German questionnaire LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire, LEESPQ, to a Swedish context, and to investigatea possible correlation between reported screen time and toddlers’ expressive speech and language ability. Method:Three different questionnaires (LEESPQ, LEAQ, Screen time) were used inthe study and 41familieswith children in the ages between 0-18 months took part. The questionnaires consisted of yes/no and open-endedquestions. The results were analyzed with quantitative methods and were presented descriptively. The methods were also used to discover a potential correlation between LEESPQ and the children’s screen time. Results:The resultsshowedthat LEESPQ is valid in a Swedish context. There wasa positivecorrelation with the German LEESPQ and the Swedish validation of LEAQ. There was no correlation between the result on LEESPQ and the results of the questionnaire about Screen time.Conclusions:LEESPQ seems to be a valid screening instrument in a Swedish context. More studies are needed to see if the amount of screen time and age of screen time onset has any effect on children’s speech and language abilities over time.Keywords: infants, speechand language abilities, LEESPQ, screen time, LEAQ