Examination of early literacy, rapid naming, and working memory skills in children with and without speech sound disorders

The aim of this research is to investigate early literacy (EL), phonological working memory (PWM), and rapid naming skills in children aged between 60-72 months with and without speech sound disorders (SSD). The sample of our study consisted of a total of 30 children, including 15 children with speech sound disorders and 15 children without speech sound disorders. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding age and gender. To determine whether the participants met the inclusion criteria for speech sound disorders, the AAT Test was administered. After dividing the participants into two groups, the Early Literacy Test test was used to evaluate early literacy skills, the SAPWM test was used to assess verbal working memory skills, and the HIT test was used to evaluate rapid automatic naming skills. When comparing the groups based on SAPWM scores, statistically significant differences were found in terms of word recall, nonsense word recall, first word recall, and SAPWM total scores (p<0.05). When comparing the groups based on HIT scores, statistically significant differences were found in both rapid automatic naming time and error rates (p<0.05). When comparing the groups based on Early Literacy Test scores, statistically significant differences were found in terms of expressive language word knowledge, phonemic awareness, listening comprehension, and Early Literacy Test score (p<0.05). When examining the relationships between scale scores, there were negative moderate between SAPWM total score and rapid automatic naming time, and positive moderate relationships between Early Literacy Test scores (except for functional knowledge) and all scores. There were negative relationships between rapid automatic naming time and SAPWM scores (except for number recall and word recall), and negative moderate to relationships between Early Literacy Test total score and rapid automatic naming time and error rates, and positive moderate to relationships between SAPWM scores and all scores. In conclusion, children with speech sound disorders tend to demonstrate lower performance in early literacy, verbal working memory, and rapid naming skills compared to children without speech sound disorders. Based on the findings, supporting children in the evaluated skills during the therapy process is valuable for their future academic success.