RCDMP · Research on communication disorders in the maltese population

Final Activity Report Summary - RCDMP (Research on communication disorders in the maltese population)

The objectives of this project were to host within the 'Communication therapy' (CT) division in Malta a more experienced researcher and send from Malta an experienced researcher for the effective transfer and development of knowledge in research management related to human communication disorders. On returning to Malta, the experienced researcher was expected to continue to develop the research base and the collaborative projects that would have been set up in the beginning of the project. Summary of scientific achievements During the first reporting period these objectives were achieved as follows: 1. Professor Barbara Dodd (the more experienced researcher from the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom) was hosted and helped in setting up a research base within the CT division of the university of Malta. Together with the experienced researcher, she provided induction courses related to carrying out large-scale and small-scale research projects to academic staff within the Institute of Health Care and CT Division as well as to senior students. 2. Dr Helen Grech (the experienced researcher from the CT Division) was sent to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, to acquire new knowledge and gain research experience in relation to standardising assessments for use with the Maltese communication disordered population; conducting an epidemiological study on speech and language disorders among the Maltese population, and planning collaborative projects. 3. On returning to Malta Helen Grech continued to plan the epidemiological study on communication disorders in Maltese which also served as the study to standardise the assessment tools. The scientific achievements during the second reporting period included: 1. the development and publication (research version) of a speech and language test battery for the Maltese bilingual population; 2. initiating of data collection from a sample of 250 children aged between two and six years. Data was collected in the children's homes or in the university clinic. The test battery was administered on each of the informants. On average each child completed the test battery in two one-hour sessions. During the third reporting period the scientific achievements included: 1. Professor Dodd helped in carrying out the analysis of the Maltese project, establishing criteria for resolving emerging difficulties, and drafting research articles for submission in peer reviewed journals related to the topic of the ongoing research project. 2. Dr Helen Grech acquired new knowledge and gained research experience in relation to management of a large scale research project, carrying out the analysis of the data and using SPSS as a database, establishing a multidisciplinary perspective for carrying out research projects (other research proposals were written involving other partner institutions, presenting papers in symposia, conferences related to the research project, writing research papers for submission in peer reviewed journals. During the fourth reporting period these objectives were achieved as follows: 1. Helen Grech (experienced researcher) continued with the analysis of the Maltese project using SPSS as a database, and together with Barbara Dodd established criteria for resolving emerging difficulties to analyse data. 2. Helen Grech supervised data collection from 200+ atypically developing children. 3. She submitted other research proposals, some of which involved the more experienced researcher from the partner institution; presented papers in symposia, conferences related to the research project and drafted and published articles related to the dissemination of results.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union