Patients Profile Treated by Speech-language therapy Service, with Emphasis on Language in a Children’s Hospital

Introduction: Language is an inherently human ability, used by a symbolic system for the expression of thoughts, ideas, and emotions, used for communication. From birth, we are forming a complex system through the acquisition of this capacity. There are many children who do not have any problem in their development; but the others do. Being a speech therapist, who among other function, is a professional responsible for development and improvement of language, it is important and essential for the evaluation, and speech therapy for any change to the normal range observed.

Objective: This study aims to identify and quantify the profile of speech diagnosis of children served by speech therapy service, with emphasis on language in a children's hospital.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study, which evaluated 21 records of patients seen in speech therapy service, from March to December 2013, with complete diagnosis.

Results and Conclusions: Of the 21 records analyzed, belonging to database of this study, 76.2% were boys and 23.8% were girls. As for speech diagnosis, it is obtained: 31.8% with simple language delay; 22.7% with phonological disorders; 18.1% with learning difficulties; 13.6% with secondary language disorder; 4.5% with dyslexia; 4.5% with disfluency, and 4.5% with learning disorder. From this study, it has an estimate of standard of care at that location, providing opportunities for better preparation and qualification for professionals who will be attending there, and you can compare our data with other regions. These findings demonstrate importance of places to speech therapy, with emphasis on language, available to children.

Keywords: language, speech therapy, simple language delay.