Performance of pre-students with communication disorders complaint in Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (Plai-2)

Author(s)

Tamires Soares Moreira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Marília. 2016-05-30.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências. Marília
• Defense date: 2016-04-25
• Advisor: Célia Maria Giacheti

Abstract

The Human Communication involves receiving skills (input) and expression (output) of language, the individual develops these skills, whether spoken, written or through gestures. The assessment of human communication aims to raise diagnostic hypotheses, and can be done with the use of standardized tests. The Preschool Language Assessment Instrument - Second Edition (PLAI-2) is an American instrument newly translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. This is a formal test used to assess communication skills in both inbound and expression of children in preschool age. The PLAI-2 communication skills according to four levels of communication skills:(1) choice, which is the most basic communication skills, only linked to tangible objects; (2) selective analysis item in which the child must answer more selective aspects through a controlled situation; (3) perceptual analysis, which requires the child to resist other components and respond according to their experiences which is in accordance with the order being requested; (4) reasoning, which is the most complex skill of communicative ability and corresponds to what the child thinks about what might, could or would happen before certain conditions. This study aimed to (1) verify the performance of children with communication disorders in the Brazilian version of PLAI-2 and compare the performance of children with typical development; (2) verify that the Brazilian version of PLAI-2 discriminates children with language disorder of other children with other communication disorders; (3) verify that the Brazilian version PLAI-2 different degrees of impairment of language disorders. The study included 52 children with communication disorders (23 with language disorder, 24 with phonological disorders, stuttering with two and three changes of orofacial motor skills) and 104 children in the comparison group, with typical language development. The data were analyzed using the statistical test. The results of the comparison between the Communication Disorders group the comparison group, indicated that children with communication disorders performed below when compared to the comparison group with statistically significant differences in most of the items and sub-items of PLAI-2 in all groups age. Comparing the sample subgroups, the results showed that children with language disorder, with scores below on all items and test sub-items, compared to children with other disorders such as phonological disorder, Stuttering and Change Motricity orofacial. As for the degree of commitment, the results point to a positive correlation between the degree of commitment given in the clinical evaluation and the degree of language impairment of PLAI-2 in children with language disorder. After analyzing the results it was concluded that (1) children with communication disorders presented performance PLAI-2 below when compared to the performance of children with typical language development; (2) the Brazilian version of PLAI-2 was able to discriminate the performance of children with Language Disorder of children with other disorders (Phonological Disorder, Stuttering and Orofacial Motricity changes); and (3) the Brazilian version of PLAI-2, differentiated degrees of impairment of language disorder frames. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/07551-5 - Performance of preschoolers with communication disorders´ complain in PLAI-2
• Grantee: Tamires Soares Moreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master