Language disorders in young children: when is speech therapy recommended?
Siena M Goorhuis-Brouwer1, Wilma A Knijff
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Groningen University Hospital, P.O. Box 30.001, The Netherlands. s.m.goorhuis.brouwer@kno.azg.nl
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|April 17, 2003
Summary
Speech therapy is often recommended for young children with pronunciation issues, but long-term therapy may not significantly improve articulation. Language skills generally remain stable, suggesting a need to reconsider therapy for mild speech motor delays.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology
- Child Language Development
- Speech Motor Control
Background:
- Many young children are referred for speech therapy due to perceived language or articulation problems.
- The effectiveness and necessity of early speech intervention for common childhood speech difficulties are debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze speech therapist recommendations for young children.
- To evaluate language abilities and the impact of speech therapy over 12 months.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 34 children (2.0-5.3 years) referred for possible language problems.
- Tracked speech therapy referrals, session frequency, and language test scores over one year.
Main Results:
- 97% of referred children received speech therapy recommendations.
- Most children had average to above-average language scores initially; 50% continued therapy after 12 months for persistent articulation issues.
- Language scores remained stable, with a mean of 26.7 therapy sessions per child.
Conclusions:
- Pronunciation difficulties frequently lead to speech therapy recommendations in young children.
- Extended speech therapy may have limited impact on articulation, and language scores are stable.
- A 'watchful waiting' approach for articulation problems and normal speech motor variations should be considered more often.
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