Assertiveness Training to Improve Self Esteem Among School-Age Children with Speech and Language Disorders

Background: Speech and language disorders negatively affects the children’s self-confidence
and self-esteem during school age and make their response more anxious, aggressive, passive, and
unassertive behaviors. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effects of assertiveness training
program on self-esteem among school-age children with speech and language disorders. Design: A
quasi-experimental research design (single group pre/post-test) was utilized. Sample: A purposive
sample of 44 school-age children with speech and language disorders who receive a follow-up visit
to the speech clinics, affiliated to Ain shams university hospitals, and met the inclusion criteria.
Tools for data collection include; 1) Children’s Interviewing Questionnaire, 2) Self Esteem Scale
for Children with Speech Disorders, and 3) Children’s Assertive Behaviors Scale (CABS) to assess
what level of assertive behaviors among children: Results: This study showed that there was a
highly statistically significant relationship between the levels of assertive behaviors pre and post
program implementation, where 50% of the children under study reported an assertive behavior in
the post-program implementation phase, meanwhile around two-third of them was reported partially
aggressive and very aggressive responses in the preprogram implementation phase, representing
39% and 32% respectively , also, this study illustrated that there was a reported improvement
regarding the main score of self-esteem domains of children understudy in the post-program
implementation phase compared to the preprogram phase p < 0.001, including the efficiency of
language communication, social interaction, independence, physical appearance, and positive self
acceptance representing 26.35+6.18, 21.21+5.86, 20.44+4.92, 18.25+4.46 and 15.69+3.03
respectively. Conclusions: Assertive behaviors of children with speech and language disorders have
improved post-program implementation phase compared to the pre-program implementation phase.
Improving assertive behaviors leads to a remarkable improvement in the children’s levels of self
esteem post-program implementation compared to the pre-program implementation.
Recommendations: Development of psychiatric nursing intervention program to improve
psychosocial stressors, coping, and resilience among children with speech and language disorders.
Also, this study recommend to conduct further studies to investigate the level of depression and
anxiety among children with speech and language disorders