Honors Theses and Capstones

Date of Award

Spring 2017

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

CHHS

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Program or Major

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

First Advisor

Allan Smith

Abstract

This study aims to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between genders in the reporting of their child’s communication abilities. Possible variances between men and women are important to consider because parent-based questionnaires are often used to help identify children who are in need and eligible for the services of a speech-language pathologist. Literature surrounding parental stereotypes and the impact of the parent in development, as well as stigma in relation to the need for speech therapy services is explored. A survey based off of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition was distributed to parents of children between 24 and 36 months old. While the results of the survey did not show a statistically significant difference between men and women, overarching patterns were found within the data. The most notable trends showed that males consistently reported higher average scores for expressive language-based questions while females reported scores either the same or higher than males for all receptive language-based questions. However, because no statistically difference was found it can be concluded that having only one parent take a questionnaire would not have a large impact on the overall results and subsequent recommendations of a speech-language pathologist.

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