Prevalencia de trastornos del lenguaje en niños y niñas con trastornos específicos del aprendizaje que asisten al Centro de Diagnósico y Orientación Piscopedagógica CEDOPS

Abstract

Currently, there are frequent reports of different cases of children with specific learning disabilities because of language impairment, especially in the early years of basic education.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of language impairment in children with specific learning disabilities who attend the Center for Diagnosis and Counseling (CEDOPS) in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador.

The information was collected from 40files of the language area in the 2009-2012 period in that institution. A descriptive retrospective design was applied for such purpose.

The population was 660 files of children with learning disabilities and language problems in general.

These files feature the following variables: age, sex, education, language impairment, specific learning disabilities, and previous treatments; according to these criteria, medical records were analyzed, and 40 positive files were chosen for our study.

Thirty-two medical records, out of 40, correspond to simple delay, which represent 80% of the total, and 20% corresponds to language delays; dysgraphia stands out with 47.5%. The male population is the most affected(65%). They are between the age of 4 and 6 (70%); they are attending the first grade,(35%) and they have not had any previous treatment(57.5%).

Six percent of these cases were related to our research topic; therefore, we developed guidelines for preventing language impairment and subsequent specific learning disabilities. KEYWORDS: LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT, SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES, PREVENTION GUIDE, CEDOPS.