Abstract
OBJECTIVES:To compare the diagnostic accuracy of a low-cost screening test for identifying children at risk for language disorders with that of a specific language assessment.METHODS:The study was conducted during a polio vaccination campaign in basic health units in western São Paulo, Brazil. The parents/guardians of 1000 children aged between 0 and 5 years were asked to answer questions of a specific screening test. The instrument consisted of a uniform set of questions about the main milestones in language development (from 0 to 5 years of age) with scaled scores to assess responses. There were no exclusion criteria. After the screening test, the children were referred to a specific language assessment by ABFW, following a determined flow of referrals. The results obtained in the screening were compared to those obtained in the specific language assessment; then, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values were determined for the screening test. Children who failed the screening test also underwent an audiological evaluation. The statistical significance was set at 5%.RESULTS:The majority of the participants were aged between 4 and 5 years (21.82%) and were male (51.6%). The sensitivity and specificity values were 82.5% and 98.93%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.907 (0.887–0.925), and the screening test showed 96% accuracy.CONCLUSIONS:The screening test showed high diagnostic efficiency in determining the risk of language disorders in children aged between 0 and 5 years.
Highlights
Knowledge on the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of a particular disease in the community is important for health professionals and managers to allocate sufficient resources for managing the problems associated with that disease and to design and implement health promotion and disease prevention strategies [1]
The results indicated that 55% of screening-positive children had confirmed language delay and the estimated sensitivity of the screening test ranged between 24% and 52%, depending on the severity of the language disorder
The authors found that the average length of time between when parents first suspected their child to have a communication disorder and the first speech-language screening was 16 months; the results indicated that the average age of detection of risk factors was 4 years
Summary
Incidence, and risk factors of a particular disease in the community is important for health professionals and managers to allocate sufficient resources for managing the problems associated with that disease and to design and implement health promotion and disease prevention strategies [1]. In Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), it is known that epidemiological studies can be used for correct and early identification of the risk of communication disorders in a given population. The results of such studies allow better programing of health actions related to disease prevention and rehabilitation of the population identified to be at risk of or having communication disorders [1,2,3]. Received for publication on July 30, 2019. Accepted for publication on December 18, 2019
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