Translation and validation of the revised version of the LittlEARS® early speech production questionnaire (LEESPQ®), in Dutch-speaking children with normal hearing

Introduction With the introduction of newborn hearing screening, children with different degrees of hearing loss can receive hearing aids and cochlear implants in the early months after birth, which is also the case in the Netherlands and in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. Materials and methods This has intensified the need for a validated questionnaire in the Dutch language to assess the speech development of children under the age of two. The LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire (R) (LEESPQ (R)), which was originally developed and validated in German language, was translated and validated into the Dutch language. Questionnaires of 355 normal hearing children were analysed. Results Total score was highly correlated with age (r = .775) and a normative curve was created. Internal consistency was reached with a high value of alpha = 0.870, which indicates that the questionnaire almost exclusively assesses speech production ability. The Dutch version of the LEESPQ (R), is reliable, consistent and independent of gender or lingual status. As such, the Dutch LEESPQ (R), may be a useful tool for language monitoring for children from birth to 18 months of age. Conclusion The Dutch LittlEARS Early Speech Production Questionnaire (R), was found to be a reliable and valid tool to assess and monitor the early speech and language production skills in children up to 18 months of age.