Translation and validation of the revised version of the LittlEARS® early speech production questionnaire (LEESPQ®), in Dutch-speaking children with normal hearing

Abstract

Introduction

With the introduction of newborn hearing screening, children with different degrees of hearing loss can receive hearing aids and cochlear implants in the early months after birth, which is also the case in the Netherlands and in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium.

Materials and methods

This has intensified the need for a validated questionnaire in the Dutch language to assess the speech development of children under the age of two. The LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire® (LEESPQ®), which was originally developed and validated in German language, was translated and validated into the Dutch language. Questionnaires of 355 normal hearing children were analysed.

Results

Total score was highly correlated with age (r = .775) and a normative curve was created. Internal consistency was reached with a high value of α = 0.870, which indicates that the questionnaire almost exclusively assesses speech production ability. The Dutch version of the LEESPQ®, is reliable, consistent and independent of gender or lingual status. As such, the Dutch LEESPQ®, may be a useful tool for language monitoring for children from birth to 18 months of age.

Conclusion

The Dutch LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire®, was found to be a reliable and valid tool to assess and monitor the early speech and language production skills in children up to 18 months of age.

Keywords:

• LittlEARS
• Speech Production
• Cochlear Implantation
• Early intervention

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all parents who consented to participate in this study and Edda Amann (MED-EL) for het statistical analysis. They also want to thank the 6 undergraduate students (Jolien Braeckmans, Nele Decoster, Floor De Greve, Yentl De Winne, Hanne De Clerq and Freya D’Oosterlinck) of the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent for all the work they did. This research study was approved by the ethical committee of the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, Ghent, Belgium. The authors also wish to thank Josephine Marriage for her feedback and for correcting their English. They have received no grands or support for writing this manuscript and declare that there are no conflicts of interest for the first 3 authors. Only last author, Diana Zegg is employed at MED-EL.

Disclaimer statements

Contributors None.

Funding None.

Conflict of interest None.

Ethics approval None.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leo De Raeve

Leo De Raeve PhD, is director of ONICI (Independent Information and Research Centre on Cochlear Implants), lecturer at University College Leuven-Limburg (B) and scientific advisor of EURO-CIU (European Association of Cochlear Implant Users). He has published more than 100 articles in scientific journals, mostly on topics within education and (re)habilitation of children with cochlear implants.

Kristin Kerkhofs

Kristin Kerkhofs is Belgian paediatric audiologists & speech and language therapists and work as lecturers at the Artevelde University College in Ghent. They are members of the working group of Flanders paediatric audiologists. Their publications: a chapter about behavioural audiometry in children between 0 and 6 years of age in the European Manual of Medicine, volume Phoniatrics (2020), a recently published Dutch manual about children with hearing loss for paediatric audiologists and speech and language therapists.

Martine de Smit

Martine de Smit is Belgian paediatric audiologists & speech and language therapists and work as lecturers at the Artevelde University College in Ghent. They are members of the working group of Flanders paediatric audiologists. Their publications: a chapter about behavioural audiometry in children between 0 and 6 years of age in the European Manual of Medicine, volume Phoniatrics (2020), a recently published Dutch manual about children with hearing loss for paediatric audiologists and speech and language therapists.

Diana Zegg

Diana Zegg, an educator of the deaf with a Master degree in the Education of Hearing Impaired, has a background in development of resources to support children with a hearing loss and their families, as well as teens and adults with a hearing impairment. Currently, she is involved in research projects for early language development of young children and development of social communication skills of children with a hearing loss.