Application of principal component analysis (PCA) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in analysis of articulatory characteristics of phonemes of children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Abstract

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS is caused by 22q11.2 microdeletion, one of the strongest known risk factors for development of neurodevelopmental disorders. About 70% patients with 22q11.2DS have speech and language impairments. In the literature, there is no data about articulatory characteristics of phonemes of children with 22q11.2DS, monolingual native speakers of South Slavic languages. Here we, by applying Global Articulation Test, analyzed articulatory characteristics of phonemes of children with 22q11.2DS, monolingual native speakers of the Serbian language (group E1), children with a phenotype resembling 22q11.2DS but without the microdeletion (group E2), children with non-syndromic congenital heart malformations (since children with these malformations may exhibit a speech and language impairments) (group E3) and their peers with typical speech-sound development (group C). Results of PCA indicated that the groups can be distinguished based on the pronunciation of phonemes, and that the pronunciation of the phonemes “Č ⟨tʃ⟩”, “Dž ⟨ʤ⟩”, “Š ⟨∫⟩”, “Ž ⟨ʒ⟩”, “R”, and “Lj ⟨ʎ⟩” contributes the most to the variability between the groups. Results of AHP revealed that the pronunciation of the phonemes “Č ⟨tʃ⟩”, “Dž ⟨ʤ⟩”, “Š ⟨∫⟩”, “Ž ⟨ʒ⟩”, “R”, and “Lj ⟨ʎ⟩” was rated the worst in the group E1. In conclusion, obtained results indicate that the presence of 22q11.2 microdeletion influences articulation skills of carriers.