Evaluating a web-based clinical decision support system for language disorders screening in a nursery school
María Luisa Martín Ruiz1, Miguel Ángel Valero Duboy, Carmen Torcal Loriente
1Technical University of Madrid, Department of Telematic and Electronic Engineering, Madrid, Spain. marialuisa.martinr@upm.es.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|May 30, 2014
Summary
A web-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) effectively aids in the early detection of language delays in young children. This system supports pediatricians and educators in identifying potential developmental disorders, improving neurodevelopmental monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
- Clinical Decision Support Systems
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Language delays are a common developmental disorder in children, often signaling potential underlying issues.
- Early and accurate identification of these delays is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
- Existing screening methods may lack efficiency, necessitating innovative technological solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy and utility of a web-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) for screening language disorders in preschool children.
- To assess the system's potential to support pediatricians and educators in early language pathology detection.
- To address the challenge of delayed diagnosis in language disorders through an accessible tool.
Main Methods:
- A web-based CDSS, named 'Gades', was implemented in a nursery school setting.
- The evaluation involved 146 children, 12 educators, and 1 language therapist over two phases.
- Educators' observations of language abilities were followed by a language therapist's evaluation and reliability assessment of the CDSS data.
Main Results:
- The Gades CDSS achieved an 83.6% success rate in language evaluation for children aged 0-3 years.
- The system assisted language therapists in identifying children requiring further evaluation for potential disorders.
- Minor refinements, including additions to the knowledge base concerning speech production and pragmatics, were suggested for system enhancement.
Conclusions:
- A web-based CDSS is beneficial for monitoring children's neurodevelopment and enabling early detection of language delays in educational settings.
- The study highlights the potential of technology to improve early identification of developmental language disorders.
- Future work will focus on developing a model with pseudo auto-learning capabilities, supervised by experts.
