<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Introduction</bold>: Speech communication is a complex process based on the function of the central nervous system, and also on the speech mechanisms conditioned and controlled by auditory perception, verbal memory, intellectual activity and peripheral speech apparatus.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the most common phonological articulation disorders in preschool children, from 4-6 years old.<bold>Materials and methods</bold>: A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2018, on a representative sample of 550 preschool children aged 4 - 6 years, who attend preschool institutions-kindergartens in the city of Skopje. The study used standardized articulation tests: The Global Articulation Test (GAT) and the Triple Test (vocals, plasia, affricative, fricative, nasal, and lateral), and a questionnaire filled out by a social worker at the kindergarten about the socioeconomic status and the child’s health condition.<bold>Results</bold>: Using GAT, we found that 260 (47.3%) children didn’t manifest any phonological articulation disorders, but 290 (52.7%) had disorders. The analysis of gender-based data showed a higher percentage of speech disorders in 57% of boys and 46.9% of girls. The highest percentage of speech disorder is sigmatism with 24.5% in boys and 20.4% in girls, rhotacismus was found in 17.8% in boys and 16.5% in girls. Lambdacism with 8.3% was found in boys and 4.2% in girls. A mixed form (sigmatism, rotacism, and lambdacism) was also found in 2.4% of boys and 3.5% of girls.<bold>Conclusions</bold>: The calculated prevalence of phonological articulation disorders in preschool children aged 4-6 years is 52.7%, (57.9% in boys and 46.9% in girls), or every second child in kindergarten has some form of speech disorder. These findings indicate that the treatment of speech disorders should begin in the appropriate services as soon as possible, because the early detection and treatment of speech disorders enable child’s normal intellectual development. The treatment should be started in the preschool period, to allow the start of the educational process without any speech problems.</abstract>

Introduction: Speech communication is a complex process based on the function of the central nervous system, and also on the speech mechanisms conditioned and controlled by auditory perception, verbal memory, intellectual activity and peripheral speech apparatus.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the most common phonological articulation disorders in preschool children, from 4-6 years old.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2018, on a representative sample of 550 preschool children aged 4 - 6 years, who attend preschool institutions-kindergartens in the city of Skopje. The study used standardized articulation tests: The Global Articulation Test (GAT) and the Triple Test (vocals, plasia, affricative, fricative, nasal, and lateral), and a questionnaire filled out by a social worker at the kindergarten about the socioeconomic status and the child’s health condition.Results: Using GAT, we found that 260 (47.3%) children didn’t manifest any phonological articulation disorders, but 290 (52.7%) had disorders. The analysis of gender-based data showed a higher percentage of speech disorders in 57% of boys and 46.9% of girls. The highest percentage of speech disorder is sigmatism with 24.5% in boys and 20.4% in girls, rhotacismus was found in 17.8% in boys and 16.5% in girls. Lambdacism with 8.3% was found in boys and 4.2% in girls. A mixed form (sigmatism, rotacism, and lambdacism) was also found in 2.4% of boys and 3.5% of girls.Conclusions: The calculated prevalence of phonological articulation disorders in preschool children aged 4-6 years is 52.7%, (57.9% in boys and 46.9% in girls), or every second child in kindergarten has some form of speech disorder. These findings indicate that the treatment of speech disorders should begin in the appropriate services as soon as possible, because the early detection and treatment of speech disorders enable child’s normal intellectual development. The treatment should be started in the preschool period, to allow the start of the educational process without any speech problems.

Prevalence of Phonological Articulation Disorders in Preschool Children in the City of Skopje

Public Health Doctoral Studies, Faculty of Medicine

Institute of public health of Republic of North Macedonia

PRILOZI

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Introduction: Speech communication is a complex process based on the function of the central nervous system, and also on the speech mechanisms conditioned and...

Prevalence of Phonological Articulation Disorders in Preschool Children in the City of Skopje

Published Online: Dec 08, 2020

Page range: 31 - 37

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prilozi-2020-0043

Keywords
speech disorders, preschool children, cross-sectional study, global articulation test, triple test

© 2020 Evgenija Grigorova et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Prevalence of Phonological Articulation Disorders in Preschool Children in the City of Skopje

Published Online: Dec 08, 2020

Page range: 31 - 37

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prilozi-2020-0043

Keywordsspeech disorders, preschool children, cross-sectional study, global articulation test, triple test

© 2020 Evgenija Grigorova et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
speech disorders, preschool children, cross-sectional study, global articulation test, triple test