Syntax Comprehension in 4-6 Year Old Foster Children

Abstract

Article Info Syntax Comprehension in 4-6 Year Old Foster Children Ali Jafari Naimi1, Zohre Arani Kashani2, Reyhane Mohamadi2*, Mahboobeh Rasouli3 1. MSc Student, Speech Pathology Department, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Assistant Professor, Speech Pathology Department of Speech & Language Pathology, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran 3. Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background & Objectives: The educational environment and family are of the most important factors in the growth and development of linguistic and verbal skills of a child. Certain conditions such as environment can influence the linguistic characteristics of the child. This study aimed to examine the syntax comprehension of Persian language speaking children among foster families and typically-developing children. Methods: 72 Persian speaking children living in orphanages between the ages 4 to 6 and 75 typically-developing 4 to 6 year-old children were assessed by the Persian syntax comprehension test. This test measures 24 syntactic constructs of Persian language in 96 items. Also, the Mann-Whitney Test was used to compare the groups. Results: Given the results of the Persian syntax comprehension test, the mean syntax compression score of children living in orphanages were significantly lower than those of typically-developing children (P<0.05). Conclusion:The foster children should be more paid attention to, in order to particularly enhance their syntax comprehension.