Communicative disorders presentation, prevalence and socio-demographic characteristics in the special need center-Ain Shams University

Abstract EN

Background: Determination of the prevalence, risk factors and clinical representation of the different types of communication disorders is the start point of determination of the magnitude of the problem among our community and thereafter drawing a culturally sensitive prevention program against these disorders.

Despite being an area of interest and research different data regarding the communicative competence of Egyptian children with communication disorders remain deficient.

The aim of the work: the current work is aiming to: 1- Determine the prevalence of different forms of communication disorders among a sample of Egyptian children attending the Special Needs Center of Ain Shams University.

2- Determine some biological and environmental factors that are associated with communication disorders.

3- Describe the passive as well as active language skills among children with Delayed Language development.

Patients and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study based on the selective randomized technique was conducted in the period between January 2017 and January 2019 on a sample of communicatively impaired Egyptian children (152 (70.69%) males and 63 (29.3%) females) in the age range between 1 year 8 months to 10 years attended the phoniatrics clinic of the Special Needs Center, Faculty of Post-Graduate Childhood Studies, Ain-Shams University.

They were subjected to a comprehensive communication competence assessment protocol.

According to the assessment protocol, the etiological diagnosis of communication disorders and its clinical presentation was determined.

Results: Delayed language development was the most commonly presented communication disorder among the studied sample.

The order of the etiological diagnosis of delayed language development among the studied sample was mental retardation and neurodevelopmental disorders in the form of ASD.

Being a male in the kindergarten grade at the 1st order in a family (highly educated father) which developed from a non-consanguineous marriage with merely presence of family history of similar cases are the most commonly presented socio-demographic characteristic.

Seventeen percent of children with DLD are exhibited either pre-verbal or minimal verbal expressive skills.