Childhood Speech Impairment and Dementia Risks Among U.S. Older Adults

Speech problems in childhood have profound implications for learning, communication, as well as the development of social and cognitive skills in adulthood. However, research has yet examined how early life speech problems may be associated with subsequent dementia risks in later life.

Using nationally representative data from the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study, this study aimed to investigate how the experience of speech problems before age 16 was associated with the risk of dementia among older adults aged 50 and older.

The analysis pooled the full life history information about childhood speech problems for N = 17,863 participants who had one to eleven observations for cognitive and sociodemographic information from 2000 to 2020. We constructed person-interval data and estimated discrete-time event history models to examine risks for developing dementia, which was measured using a validated Langa-Weir classification of cognitive function.

Results showed that older adults with childhood speech problems had a higher risk of developing dementia in later life, compared to those who never had speech problems in childhood. The effect of childhood speech problems on cognitive function was partially explained by economic status and health conditions in midlife.

Findings highlight the long-arm implications of early life health adversity and suggest needs for screening and early intervention programs for childhood speech impairment.

What is already known on this subject Literature had documented various developmental and health outcomes of childhood speech impairment. This research addresses the gap in the literature by examining the long-term implications of childhood speech impairment on dementia risk in later life. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study investigated how the experience of childhood speech impairment was associated with the risk of dementia among U.S. older adults. We found about 3% of U.S. older adults had speech impairments in childhood, and they had a higher risk of developing dementia in later life compared to those who did not have speech impairments in childhood. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Findings suggest needs for screening and early intervention programs for childhood speech impairment.