The Relationship Between Articulation Disorders and Auditory Discrimination in First Grade Primary School Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59519/mper7107Keywords:
Articulation disorders, auditory discrimination, first-grade elementary school childrenAbstract
Children who have difficulty recognizing and distinguishing phonemes often struggle with imprecise articulation of sounds, leading to incorrect pronunciation of words and impaired verbal communication. These children generally score lower on phonemic perception tests, suggesting that articulation disorders may be associated with underdeveloped auditory abilities. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between articulation disorders and auditory discrimination difficulties in first-grade elementary school children. The study included 150 first-grade students of both genders (M = 6.42 years, SD = 0.47) from the “Dositej Obradović” Elementary School in Banja Luka, conducted during May and June 2023. Data were collected using a Screening Articulation Test and a Phoneme Discrimination Test. Articulation disorders were observed in 34% of participants, while 28.7% had difficulties with auditory discrimination of phonemes. The analysis showed a strong positive correlation between these two disorders. No gender differences were observed in auditory discrimination among children with articulation disorders. Articulation disorders in first-grade children are often associated with deficits in auditory discrimination. Early diagnosis and assessment of these abilities are important for preventing further speech and language issues. An integrated assessment should be an essential part of speech-language diagnostics during this developmental period.
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