Development of a Speech Intelligibility Test for Children in Swiss German Dialects.

Objective This paper describes the development of a speech intelligibility test in Swiss German dialects, designed for children aged four to nine who are not yet familiar with standard German.Method Suitable monosyllabic words and trochees in different Swiss German dialects were compiled, illustrated, and evaluated. Picture-pointing test procedures appropriate for children were developed. The selected test words and the pictures representing them were evaluated in a preliminary trial with forty-six normal-hearing children between two and nine years of age.Results A set of 60 monosyllabic words and 40 trochees was recorded in four different Swiss German dialects as well as in standard German, resulting in a total of 500 recordings. Drawings were created to illustrate each word and found to be appropriate for children aged four years old or older. A non-adaptive and an adaptive test procedure using a weighted up-down method to measure speech reception thresholds in quiet and in noise were developed.Conclusions A novel test to determine speech intelligibility in children in four different Swiss dialects was developed and evaluated in a pilot study. A validation study with more participants was designed to evaluate the test material and procedures.