A Developmental Protocol for Pragmatics

Abstract

The study aimed to develop a protocol for pragmatics, which would help to identify sequential pragmatic milestones; help in identification and diagnosis of pragmatic. Disabilities and allow intervention based on a developmental schedule. Hence, the review constituted a vital part of the study. Based on the review, different pragmatic skills were pooled, a hundred items questionnaire along the domains of perlocutionary, locutionary and illocutionary was developed by the investigator mid \Vas subjected to content validation by ten Speech-Language pathologist's (SLP's). Questions that were in 60 percent agreement across SLP's were taken in the final protocol. The validated protocol was administered across 130 normally developing children from birth to eight years by means of parental interview. Each item. was scored on an ordinal scale for the degree of presence of the behavior. The mean pragmatic scores of the children within and across groups were compared and analyzed. In addition, the age of acquisition of the pragmatic skills was derived and the normative data for the same was established. The results indicated that the mean pragmatic quotient scores increased linearly with increase in age, thereby indicating a developmental trend. Results also indicate that pragmatic development reaches a plateau after three years of age up to eight years of age and pragmatic development after eight years of age needs further exploration. There exists no significant difference in the pragmatic abilities across gender, in the Indian context. Mastery of pragmatic abilities was also explored and the same is discussed with respect to cultural variations.