Language is central to children's cognitive, emotional, and social development, and language difficulties are a frequent reason for consultation in child psychiatry, often co-occurring with psychiatric disorders. Yet, systematic language assessment is rarely possible due to the limited availability of speech-language therapists in these services.
The TICOALA tool (Interactive Test of Language Comprehension and Learning on tablet) offers a quick and engaging way to evaluate lexical and syntactic comprehension and word learning. This study aims to assess its acceptability among children aged 3-7 attending a child psychiatry service in Paris, as well as among clinicians and parents. Secondary goals include testing the feasibility of a larger study, describing children's language skills, and examining how these relate to clinical and background variables.
Children (boys or girls) aged 3-7 years
Consulting in the child psychiatry service
Enrolled in a French-speaking school
Inability to use the tablet-based TICOALA tool due to severe sensory (blindness, deafness), motor, or intellectual impairment
Refusal of the child or parents/legal guardians to participate
Child not affiliated with the French social security system
Single group
TICOALA
Other interventionThe TICOALA tool (Interactive Test of Language Comprehension and Learning on tablet) offers a quick and engaging way to evaluate children's lexical and syntactic comprehension, as well as their ability to learn new words. Integrating this tool into clinical practice could provide an initial language assessment and help guide referrals for formal speech-language evaluation.
Acceptability of the TICOALA tool among children attending our child psychiatry service
This objective will be evaluated using a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, with a composite evaluation criterion based on three elements: the child's opinion, their level of attention, and their level of motivation. The questionnaire will be completed by the consultant, reporting the child's opinion and their clinical observations (attention, motivation) during the assessment.
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Centre Hospitalier St Anne
Lead sponsor
Université Paris Cité
Collaborator
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
Collaborator
