Al-Qahtani Saleh M, Shiba Hoda Ali Ahmed, Ahmed Hebatalla Abdelmaksoud Abdelmonsef, Shati Ayed A, Alshmrani Layan Saeed, Alqahtani Razan Mubarak, Almater Reema Saeed, Alqahtani Rawan, Alshehri Reema Mohammed Abdullah, Alshehri Yara Ahmed Salem, Saddah Lamia Ahmed M, Ghazy Ramy Mohamed
Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jul 25;104(30):e43459. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000043459.
Universal screening for developmental language delay (DLD) is of vital importance, as early identification and intervention can significantly reduce the risk of long-term adverse outcomes, including diminished cognitive functioning, impaired communication skills, and literacy difficulties. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with DLD in children. Using a community-based approach, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among residents of the Aseer region in Saudi Arabia. The study population included children aged ≤6 years. Face-to-face interviews were carried out in community settings, including nurseries and schools, where children were screened using the Arabic-translated version of the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition. A total of 410 children were included; their median (interquartile range) age was 46.0 (22.0-65.0) months, 53.2% were females, 82.7% resided in urban areas, 38.5% of the studied parents reported a consanguineous relationship, and 8.5% of families reported a history of speech or language disorders. For auditory comprehension, infants exhibited the highest mean score, while kindergarten-aged children recorded the lowest mean score (105.1 ± 23.6 vs 80.7 ± 24.0; P < .001). Regarding expressive communication, infants had the highest performance, while preschoolers aged 37 to 48 months had the lowest score (101.2 ± 22.0 vs 79.4 ± 20.8; P < .001). Infants had the highest total score, while preschoolers had the lowest (113.7 ± 27.3 vs 80.9 ± 23.8; P < .001). The overall prevalence of DLD was 35.9% among all the studied children. Maternal education levels revealed a significant association, with a higher percentage of mothers in the DLD group having lower education levels compared with the non-DLD group (P = .035). A significant difference was related to the child's nutrition, as 25.3% of children in the DLD group were breastfed compared with 45.4% who were bottle-fed (P = .001). DLD affects nearly one-third of the studied sample in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia, and it was linked to maternal education and feeding practices. Implementaion of ommunity-based screening and intervention programs are necessary to reduce the burden of DLD.
对发育性语言迟缓（DLD）进行普遍筛查至关重要，因为早期识别和干预可显著降低长期不良后果的风险，包括认知功能减退、沟通技能受损和读写困难。本研究旨在确定儿童DLD的患病率及相关风险因素。采用基于社区的方法，对沙特阿拉伯阿西尔地区的居民进行了横断面调查。研究人群包括6岁及以下儿童。在社区环境中进行面对面访谈，访谈地点包括托儿所和学校，使用《学前语言量表》第四版的阿拉伯语翻译版本对儿童进行筛查。共纳入410名儿童；他们的年龄中位数（四分位间距）为46.0（22.0 - 65.0）个月，53.2%为女性，82.7%居住在城市地区，38.5%的被研究父母报告有近亲关系，8.5%的家庭报告有言语或语言障碍史。在听觉理解方面，婴儿的平均得分最高，而幼儿园年龄儿童的平均得分最低（105.1±23.6对80.7±24.0；P <.001）。在表达性沟通方面，婴儿的表现最佳，而37至48个月的学龄前儿童得分最低（101.2±22.0对79.4±20.8；P <.001）。婴儿的总分最高，而学龄前儿童的总分最低（113.7±27.3对80.9±23.8；P <.001）。在所有被研究儿童中，DLD的总体患病率为35.9%。母亲的教育水平显示出显著关联，与非DLD组相比，DLD组中母亲教育水平较低的比例更高（P = 0.035）。与儿童营养存在显著差异，DLD组中25.3%的儿童母乳喂养，而奶瓶喂养的儿童为45.4%（P = 0.001）。在沙特阿拉伯阿西尔地区，DLD影响了近三分之一的被研究样本，并且与母亲教育和喂养方式有关。实施基于社区的筛查和干预项目对于减轻DLD的负担是必要的。
