Prevalence and Risk Factors of Primary Speech and Language Delay in Children Less than Seven Years of Age

Background: Normal language ability is a complex function that widely distrusted across the brain through interconnected neural network, respiratory system and auditory system. Speech and language is tool for sharing and exchanging information, thought, idea, feeling and so on. Speech means the sounds that come out of a person's mouth, delay means defect in (voice, articulation and fluency). Language disorder when a person has trouble in understanding (receptive language) or sharing thought, idea, feeling (expressive language). Objective: To assess the frequency of primary speech-language delay in children less than seven years of age. To find risk factors of primary speech-language delay. Method: Cross-sectional study conducted from 1st May 2016 to thirty of January 2017. 353 children was studied, sample constitute children attending pediatric psychiatry clinic of Central teaching hospital of pediatric in Baghdad city, the study was carried out by interview with families of children, the children were assessed for hearing, motor, cognitive, speech and language according to Center control and prevention Developmental milestone. Results: In this study 353 children studied, 42 children were primary speech-language delay, the frequency of primary speech-language delay was 11.9%. Among the total of 353 children less than seven years old 265 (75.1%) male and 88 (24.9%) female. Association of primary speech-language delay with gender was significant (p-0.037), male was risk factor of delay. The association between primary speech-language delay and family history of delay was significant (p-0.0361). No significant association between primary speech-language delay and age of children (p-0.58) No significant association between primary speech-language delay and postnatal complication (p-0.931). No significant association between primary speech-language delay and TV (television) watching (p-0.58). Conclusion: Data from our study suggest that developmental primary speech-language delay common in children less than seven years of age. Male and family histories of speech language delay are risk factors. Analytic study need to explore the causal relationship between risk factors and delay.