The development of a behavioural test battery in auditory processing for Maltese school children

Abstract

This research investigates the auditory processing skills of bilingual Maltese children. The purpose of this study is to identify trends on a novel assessment battery of auditory processing targeted at the paediatric Maltese population. A total of 130 children participated. The sample included 101 typically developing children and 29 presenting with a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder (clinical group). The typically developing children’s performance on the assessment battery was compared in terms of ‘age’, ‘gender’, ‘primary language’, ‘geographic region’ and ‘school type’. The performance of this group was further compared with that of a clinical group. Reliability and validity studies were carried out on the developed and modified subtests in the assessment battery. A factor analysis of the tool highlighted two factors under which the subtests fall: those incorporating linguistic stimuli and those using non-linguistic stimuli. A regression analysis revealed predictors of the subtests in terms of the demographic factors as well as other subtests within the tool. The result outcomes are discussed with respect to related studies carried out on other paediatric populations. Overall, there were no significant differences in the performance of the TD group when divided in their categorical variables, but significant differences in the performance of the TD and clinical groups on the APD questionnaire and assessment battery. This study is the first step to research on auditory processing in Malta. It provides a basis to further research, where a deeper analysis into the performance of specific clinical populations can be carried out, and an initial guide to clinical professionals working with this population.