Speech disorders in Israeli Arab children

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Linguistics
• Genetics

Background:

• Speech and language disorders are prevalent global health concerns.
• Consanguinity is a known risk factor for certain genetic disorders, potentially impacting development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of speech disorders in Israeli Arab children.
• To investigate the association between parental consanguinity and speech disorders in this population.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to parents of 1,495 Arab children in Taibe.
• A subgroup of children with reported speech disorders underwent specialist examination.
• Statistical analysis compared rates between consanguineous and non-consanguineous families.

Main Results:

• 25% of children were reported to have speech and language disorders.
• Articulation errors (48.0%) were the most common disorder, followed by language (18.0%) and voice (15.9%) issues.
• Children of consanguineous marriages had a significantly higher rate of speech disorders (31%) compared to non-consanguineous ones (22.4%).

Conclusions:

• Speech disorders represent a significant issue among Israeli Arab schoolchildren.
• Parental consanguinity is associated with an increased risk of speech disorders.
• Enhanced diagnostic and treatment programs are necessary for affected children.