This project aims to validate the LITMUS-QU-NWR (Language Impairment Testing in a Multilingual Society - Quasi Universal - NonWord Repetition) into European Portuguese (EP). This tool was developed as part of a COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action focusing on bilingualism and language disorders (COST Action IS0804, 2009-2013). Within this action, several language assessment tools have been developed to discriminate between monolingual and bilingual typically developing children and those with developmental language disorder (DLD) in the areas of syntax, lexicon, and phonology. The LITMUS-QU-NWR tools were specifically designed to assess children’s phonology through phonological complexity. In EP, no Nonword repetition (NWR) task assesses phonological complexity, nor has it been designed for use in multilingual contexts. Therefore, there is a need to adapt the LITMUS-QU-NWR to EP. The project also aims to investigate the relationship between children's performance on the NWR task and their performance on other tasks involving oral production, oral comprehension, reading and writing.

Traditionally, the standardized tasks used to assess children’s phonology are based on word production, typically through picture naming tasks.However, these tasks disadvantage children with a smaller lexicon, as previously acquired lexical knowledge correlates with children's performance on tasks involving word production or repetition. Our proposal aims to address this problem by using a NWR task that does not rely on previously acquired lexical knowledge. This makes this task particularly interesting for assessing children who may have a limited lexical knowledge, such as children with DLD and bilingual children. In conclusion, this NWR task can potentially identify monolingual and bilingual children with DLD.

Although the LITMUS-QU-NWR has been adapted for different languages and its effectiveness in discriminating typically developing children from those with DLD has been demonstrated for several languages (French, German, and Lebanese Arabic), the relationship between children’s performance at on the task and other linguistic skills, such as receptive vocabulary size, metaphonological abilities, and reading and writing skills, has not yet been investigated. This is surprising, considering that knowing this would allow us to understand which skills can be trained in order to improve children’s performance in both oral and written language. Our proposal aims to fill this knowledge gap. Our goal in this project is to address this issue by investigating the relationships between metaphonological abilities, reading and writing skills, and phonological performance in schoolaged children, with and without DLD. In order to achieve this, we intend to conduct an experimental assessment of all these skills. Our sample will consist of 200 monolingual native EP-speaking children attending the first cycle of basic education, and 40 monolingual children with DLD. The NWR task consists of 72 nonwords with phonological properties characteristic of EP. Children will have to repeat these nonwords. Additionally, tasks assessing receptive vocabulary, metaphonological abilities, and reading and writing skills will also be used.

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