The Clinical Features of Children with Developmental Language Disorder

Kim, Soo Jin; Kim, Young Hoon; Lee, Yoon Kyung; Kim, Dong Un; Han, Seung Hoon; Chung, Seung Yun; Lee, In Goo; Lee, Ik Jun; Whang, Kyung Tai

Abstract

PURPOSE: Children with developmental language disorder occupy considerable health care resources, particularly in the preschool ages. The exact size of problem for health planning remains somewhat problematic, as differences in reported estimates of prevalencies reflect the range of definitions used. In this study, we evaluated the clinical features of children with developmental language disorder and examined effctiveness of the Gesell Screening Inventory and REEL scale to assess language development.
METHODS
The 171 children were involved in the study, they were referred to Child Development Clinic in Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital for evaluation of suspected language problem. Among the children, 75 cases between 15 and 54 months of age were included as developmental language disorder in this study.
RESULTS
1) The mean age of subjects was 31.4 months and the ratio of male to female was 6.5:1. 2) The mean gestational age of the subjects was 38.8 weeks. The proportion of full-term infants was 82.7% and the one of premature infants was 17.3%. 3) According to the birth ordering history, the proportion of the first baby was 82.7%, the one of second baby was 13.3% and the one of third baby was 4%. 4) Ten children had been checked up the MRI, four of them had abnormal findings, 23 children had been checked up the EEG and two of them showed abnormal findings. 5) The mean age of first spontaneous word with used meaning was 13.8 months. 6) According to the Gesell Screening Inventory, the proportion of children who had less than DQ 70 had showed 4% in motor sector, 17% in adaptive sector, 66.7% in laguage sector and 33.3% in personal social sector. 7) According to the REEL Scale, the proportion of children who had less DQ 70 had showed 70.7% of in receptive language sector and 90.7% in expressive language sector. 8) The proportion of the children who had been maintaining language disorder was 17.3% and that of those who showed normal linguistic development was 82.7% on the follow-up test 6 months later.
CONCLUSION
The large proportion of the children who had language delay was developmental language disorder without organic problem. Most of them showed symptom improvement on the follow up test 6 months later.