Research on the relationship between articulation levels and social skills of Turkish children between the ages of 4 and 5 years

Abstract Objective: This study aims to investigate whether there is a relationship between articulation levels and social skills of normally developing children at the ages of 4 and 5 years and to determine whether articulation levels and social skills are differentiated with regard to variable factors. Methods: A relational screening model was used in this study. Eighty-seven boys and 73 girls (160 children in total) who were educated at four preschools were selected according to simple random sampling in Kütahya province, Turkey. The mean age of the children was 4.6 years. The Ankara Articulation Test (AAT) was used to specify the articulation levels of children and the Preschool Social Skills Rating Scale [PSSRS, Okul Öncesi Sosyal Beceri Değerlendirme Ölçeği (OSBED)] was used to evaluate the social skills of the children. Findings: The results of the study revealed that the articulation mistakes decrease and social skills increase as the age of children rises. It was found that girls had better results in both social skills and articulation levels than boys. Analysis of the socio-economic statuses of the children showed no significant differences between articulation levels and social skills. Correlation analysis showed that children with articulation disorders have lower social skills rankings than children without articulation disorders, and speech is one of the factors that affect social skills ranking. Results: This study is important because of its observations about speech, communication, and social skills in children, as well as for raising awareness among parents and teachers of preschool children.