Article2009

Epidemiology of Speech and Language Impairment in a Nationally Representative Sample of 4- to 5-Year-Old Children

Sharynne Lindy McLeod · Linda Joan Harrison

195 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Speech Language and Hearing Research

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Language Development and Disorders Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation Voice and Speech Disorders

Abstract

PURPOSE: To draw on multiple sources of information to determine prevalence of speech and language impairment in young Australian children. METHOD: Information about 4,983 children (ages 4-5 years) from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2007) was obtained via parent interviews and questionnaires, teacher questionnaires, and direct assessment. Data were statistically weighted to the Australian population of 253,202 children in the target age group. RESULTS: Parent-reported prevalence: 25.2% had concerns about how their child talked and made speech sounds (11.8% "concerned"; 13.4% "a little concerned"), and 9.5% had concerns about how their child understood language (4.4% "concerned"; 5.1% "a little concerned"). Parents who reported concerns identified "speech not clear to others" as the most frequent area of difficulty (12.0%). Teacher-reported prevalence: 22.3% of children were considered to be less competent than others in their expressive language ability (6.7% "much less competent"; 15.6% "less competent"); 16.9% were considered to be less competent than others in their receptive language ability (4.0% "much less competent"; 12.9% "less competent"). The match between parent and teacher identification was higher for expressive speech and language concern than for receptive language. Direct assessment: 13.0% of children were 1-2 SDs below the mean on the Adapted Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (S. Rothman, 2003), and a further 1.7% were > 2 SDs below the mean. Parent and teacher reports were significantly correlated with scores obtained via direct assessment. Period prevalence: Parents and teachers reported that 14.5% of children had accessed speech-language pathologist (SLP) services. 2.2% indicated that they needed but could not access an SLP. CONCLUSION: Multiple indicators of speech and language impairment in diverse contexts confirmed the high prevalence of this condition in early childhood and a concomitant need for SLP services.

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References

1979The Ecology of Human Development 1997Prevalence of Specific Language Impairment in Kindergarten Children 2021Preschool Language Scale – 5 2010Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2000Prevalence and natural history of primary speech and language delay: findings from a systematic review of the literature 2007Late Language Emergence at 24 Months: An Epidemiological Study of Prevalence, Predictors, and Covariates 2002Epidemiology of Stuttering in the Community Across the Entire Life Span 1998Screening for speech and language delay: a systematic review of the literature.

Cited by

2012Speech-language pathologists’ assessment and intervention practices with multilingual children 2009Risk and Protective Factors Associated With Speech and Language Impairment in a Nationally Representative Sample of 4- to 5-Year-Old Children 2012How should children with speech sound disorders be classified? A review and critical evaluation of current classification systems 2011A Nationally Representative Study of the Association Between Communication Impairment at 4–5 Years and Children’s Life Activities at 7–9 Years 2015Intelligibility in Context Scale: Normative and Validation Data for English-Speaking Preschoolers

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