Relationship between age, percentage of consonants correct and speech rate.
BACKGROUND
There is a lack of information regarding the relationship between age, speech rate and speech performance.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze and to compare the performance of children according to age, Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) and speech rate, and to determine the relationship between these variables.


METHODS
Participants of this study were two hundred children divided in three different age groups: 6:0 to 8:0 years (Group I), 8:1 to 10:0 years (Group II), and 10:1 to 12:6 years (Group III). The following tests were used: speech rate tasks, imitation and picture naming (ABFW-Language test for children) and the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA for inter-group analysis, followed by the Tukey Test. The coefficient of Pearson Correlation was used to analyze the relationship between age, speech rate and speech performance (PCC).


RESULTS
There was a significant difference between the PCC and speech rate when comparing the three groups (p<0.001). Regarding speech rate test, using /pataka/ as a stimulus, there were significant differences between Group I and the two other groups (p<0.01). There was a significant and positive correlation between age, the PCC and speech rate (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Speech performance, measured by the PCC, and speech rate increased according to age, resulting in significant differences between the three age groups. The increase of the PCC indexes and of speech rate were directly proportional.
Folha
Gislaine Aparecida
GA
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. gislaine@fmrp.usp.br
Felício
Cláudia Maria de
CM
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors