Trastornos de los sonidos del habla en la Unidad Educativa Fiscomisional "San Roque" Cuenca, 2023 - 2024

Abstract

Speech is the verbal expression that promotes communication. However, alterations of the articulation of sounds occur very often. Several studies show constant alterations of phonemes /s/, /1/ and /r/, diphthongs, and lateral and central consonant groups in children aged 4-6 years, mostly males. To determine the incidence of speech sound disorders in preschool and kindergarten children attending San Roque school, in Cuenca in 2023-2024. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, featuring 70 children aged 4-6 years. The children were evaluated using the revised protocol for phonetic and phonological evaluation. IBM SPSS was used for statistical analysis. Data shows that 75.7% of the children evaluated had some type of speech sound disorder. Phonetic-phonological disorder was the most common, affecting 54.3% of children, followed by phonological disorders (17.1%) and phonetic disorders (4.3%). When comparing these outcomes to those of similar studies, the impact on diphthongs /uo/, /ue/, and /eu/, phonemes /s/, /1/, and /r/, and central and lateral consonant groups /dr/ and /bl/, respectively, in children aged 4-6 years, was confirmed. This proves an increase of cases in the last 4 years.