Non-word repetition skills in Maltese children : a comparison between typically developing and language disordered children

Abstract

This study investigates the performance of Maltese typically developing (TD) children and children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) on Maltese and English non-word repetition tasks (NWRTs). The main aim of this research was to compare the performance of these groups in NWRTs, and to identify any similarities and differences between them. To accomplish this aim, secondary database sets collected by Tabone (2018) and Gatt (personal communication) were analysed. This included a sample of 24 participants of ages between 5;00 and 9;11 years, with half of them being TD children, as the control group, and the other half being children with a language disorder in the context of typical physical, sensory, cognitive and socio-emotional development, as the clinical group. The responses of both groups on Maltese and English NWRTs were scored and analysed, both quantitatively and qualitatively, by calculating the percentage errors and also analysing the type of phonological error patterns produced. Results revealed that there is a significant difference between the performance of Maltese TD children and children with DLD on Maltese and English NWRTs, with the clinical group obtaining a significantly lower score in both NWRTs, across all word complexities and syllable lengths. It was also found that in spite of these differences, both groups produced a similar pattern of phonological errors, although the clinical group had a significantly higher amount of errors. In conclusion, it was observed that non-word repetition skills differed significantly in the children with DLD, when compared to age matched TD children. This was similar to various foreign and local studies, where it was concluded that Maltese children with DLD also exhibit non-word repetition difficulties which continue to strengthen the implication that non-word repetition is a significant clinical marker of DLD.