Syntax Comprehension in 4-6 Year Old Foster Children

• Main Authors: Ali Jafari Naimi, Zohre Arani Kashani, Reyhane Mohamadi, Mahboobeh Rasouli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran University of Medical Sciences 2018-12-01
• Series: Function and Disability Journal
• Subjects: orphanage; syntax comprehension; language; foster children; typically-developing children
• Online Access: http://fdj.iums.ac.ir/article-1-59-en.html

Background & Objectives: The educational environment and family are of the most important factors in the growth and development of linguistic and verbal skills of a child. Certain conditions such as environment can influence the linguistic characteristics of the child. This study aimed to examine the syntax comprehension of Persian language speaking children among foster families and typically-developing children.  Methods: 72 Persian speaking children living in orphanages between the ages 4 to 6 and 75 typically-developing 4 to 6 year-old children were assessed by the Persian syntax comprehension test. This test measures 24 syntactic constructs of Persian language in 96 items. Also, the Mann-Whitney Test was used to compare the groups.  Results: Given the results of the Persian syntax comprehension test, the mean syntax compression score of children living in orphanages were significantly lower than those of typically-developing children (P<0.05).  Conclusion:The foster children should be more paid attention to, in order to particularly enhance their syntax comprehension.