Validation of a booklet on language developmental milestones in childhood

ABSTRACT Purpose: to develop and validate the content of printed educative material (booklet) on the typical oral language development. Methods: methodological development research with content validation. The material was produced following a literature review, in which the available publications approaching this theme were analyzed. The descriptors used were “child language”, “child development”, “language development”, and “language development disorders”. A total of 37 judges (specialists in the field and target audience) participated, divided into groups: speech-language-hearing therapists (LJG), educators (EJG), and relatives (RJG). They answered a 5-point Likert-scale instrument. The absolute percentage agreement (APA) and content validity index (CVI) were applied, whose respective minimum values of 75% and 0.78 were adopted. Results: the booklet encompassed the aspects of phonology, semantics, syntax, narrative and hearing, citing what is expected for each age. At the end of each topic, suggestions on how to stimulate the child’s language were made. The mean VCI scores were: LJG=81.3%, EJG=93.51%, and RJG=89.4%. Conclusion: the booklet reached a high content and design validity index and will aid health education initiatives, allowing its content to be spread among families and professionals involved in child development.