12 Surprising Facts about Children Speech and Language

Speech Pathology may not sound common, but speech and language disorders among children are far more common than we think, affecting many aspects of their life: social interactions, relationships, and well-being.

Here are some statistics to get you started:

1. On average, 2 children in every classroom of 30 people have a developmental language disorder.

2. According to Speech Pathology Australia, 46% of young law offenders have an existing language disorder.

3. Speech sound disorders are prevalent (4.5-25% of the population), especially among 4-5 years old.

4. Boys have double the risk than girls of having speech sound and language disorders.

5. Communication impairment starts at birth for children with autism, Down's syndrome ,and Cerebral palsy.

6. Among the 4-year-old age group, 20% have trouble understanding or using language.

7. Indigenous children have double the rates (40% of children) in progressing in school without the skills needed for academic success (school readiness).

8. 20% of children are unidentified with developmental problems before starting school.

9. Autism Spectrum Australia confirms that Autism spectrum disorder exists in 1 in every 70 people.

10. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, males are 3.5 times more likely than women to get diagnosed with Autism due to limited researches in women.

11. There is a 25.1% increase from the number of diagnosed cases of Autism from 2015 in 2018 in Australia.

12. In 2018, the 3 most common disabilities affecting children in Australia (intellectual disability, sensory and speech disability, psychosocial disability) all frequently result in speech and language delay. Intellectual disability occurs 1 in every 22 children.

13. There are yet many more unidentified cases globally due to factors such as low education level or poverty.

Note: it is estimated that these figures has increased since the publish of the studies due to changing diagnostic criteria and new national and international researches.

Speech and language disorders are more common than we may think, hence, with a disorder, the act of enhancing your child's development little by little every day would bring a massive change in due terms.

We cannot get rid of a disorder, but we can make things better by teaching our children to become better communicators while establishing a harmonious and fruitful relationship.

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Hope you find this useful in getting to know about speech and language disorders. The take-home message here: Speech and language disorder is a global problem that should not be overlooked.

Have a great day and don't forget to smile!

Joyce Lau