Age related performance of Sinhala speaking normative hearing children on translated Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure (GASP)

Abstract

Introduction: Several test protocols are used in evaluating the progress of speech and language in children following cochlear implant surgery. However, in Sri Lanka, there are no such tests available in Sinhala. Objectives: To assess the performance of Sinhala speaking normative hearing children on translated (Sinhala) Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure (GASP). Methods: The 10 questions of GASP were translated into Sinhala by a professional linguist from the Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya. The translated version of GASP was piloted on twenty children comprising 10 boys and 10 girls in age groups; 4.01-5.0, 5.01-6.0, 6.01-7.0 and 7.01-8.0 years to determine socio-cultural appropriateness of the tool. The main study was then conducted with a randomly selected sample of 212 (101 male and 111 female) children of age groups similar to those used in the pilot study. Children with normal hearing were recruited for the study following analysis of their medical history, PTA (Pure Tone Audiometry), and immittance audiometry results. The translated GASP questions were administered to the recruited group of children. Results and Discussion: The results showed a significant change in the score as the age of the child increases. This was mainly noted in question 2 (“What colour are your shoes?” (P value = 0.048)), question 5 (“When is your birthday?” (P < 0.001)), question 6 (“What is the name of your teacher?” (P = 0.037)), question 7 (“What number comes after seven?” (P< 0.001)) and question 10 (“How old are you?” (P< 0.001)). Conclusion: The Sinhala translated GASP can be used to assess auditory skills of Sinhala speaking children aged ≥ 5.0years. It is recommended that a larger test sample would be necessary before using the test for children below five years of age.