Non-Word Repetition Performance in Malayalam ...

Non-Word Repetition Performance in Malayalam Speaking Children with Speech Sound Disorders

Author Name : Saliha Khan, Dr. Vini Abhijith Gupta

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2025.1301251876

ABSTRACT Repetition of non-words has been shown to support the development of speech sound production, making word production more effortless and strengthening vocabulary growth. This process ultimately enhances overall communication skills. However, children with Speech Sound Disorder (SSD) often experience difficulties with non-word repetition (NWR), which can negatively impact their speech production patterns, sometimes going unnoticed. The present study examined the NWR performance of Malayalam-speaking children with SSD and compared it to that of typically developing (TD) children. The participants were divided into two age groups 5-6 years and 6-7 years. The results suggested that children with SSD performed poorly on the NWR task in both age groups. However, compared to the younger group (5–6 years), the older group (6-7 years) children performed better.