Prevalence of Learners with Speech and Language Impairments in Communication Skills at the Elementary Level

Abstract

This​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ study investigated the prevalence of speech and language difficulties (SLIs) in primary-level learners and the extent to which these problems impact their communication skills. The research, which used a descriptive quantitative design, obtained data of 300 students from 5 different elementary schools through several standardized instruments and teacher-administered questionnaires. The results indicated that 14.6% of the children had speech and language impairments to varying degrees. Moreover, the research uncovered that the number of males and children from multilingual families was higher among those with SLIs. The statistical techniques employed, such as t-test and ANOVA, showed that the differences in children performance in communication skills tasks due to their age and socioeconomic status were significant from a statistical point of ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌view. The investigation emphasizes the indispensable requirement of screening and intervention programs at the early stage to equip learners with SLIs in academic and social spheres. This evidence nurtures the existing literature and thus, the study is a call for implementation of inclusive education as well as the essentiality of speech-language instruction at the primary ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌level.