Objective: This paper describes the development of a speech intelligibility test in Swiss German dialects, designed for children aged four to nine who are not yet familiar with standard German. Method: Suitable monosyllabic words and trochees in different Swiss German dialects were compiled, illustrated, and evaluated. Picture-pointing test procedures appropriate for children were developed. The selected test words and the pictures representing them were evaluated in a preliminary trial with forty-six normal-hearing children between two and nine years of age. Results: A set of 60 monosyllabic words and 40 trochees was recorded in four different Swiss German dialects as well as in standard German, resulting in a total of 500 recordings. Drawings were created to illustrate each word and found to be appropriate for children aged four years old or older. A non-adaptive and an adaptive test procedure using a weighted up–down method to measure speech reception thresholds in quiet and in noise were developed. Conclusions: A novel test to determine speech intelligibility in children in four different Swiss dialects was developed and evaluated in a pilot study. A validation study with more participants was designed to evaluate the test material and procedures.
Schmid et al. (Thu,) studied this question.