Prevalencia de los trastornos del desarrollo del lenguaje en niños de 2 a 6 años. Centro de Desarrollo Infantil-Universidad de Cuenca. 2023

Abstract

Background: Developmental language disorders (DLD) significantly affect communication, learning, and social interaction during childhood. In Ecuador, the lack of research on their prevalence limits the implementation of early intervention strategies. Objective: To determine the prevalence of DLD in children aged 2 to 6 years who attended the Child Development Center at the University of Cuenca in 2023. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted through the review of 62 medical records of children evaluated in the speech therapy department. Sociodemographic data and diagnoses were collected based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Information was entered into a structured Google Forms database and analyzed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics were used: mean, standard deviation, and variance for quantitative variables, and frequency and percentage tables for qualitative variables. Results: 43.6% of the children presented some type of DLD. The most frequent was receptive and expressive language impairment (19.4%), followed by general developmental language disorder (16.1%) and expressive language impairment (8.1%). Prevalence was higher in boys (63%) and in 4-year-old children (33.3%). Conclusion: The high prevalence of DLD in this population highlights the need for timely detection and multidisciplinary intervention during the early stages of development.