EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN WITH COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES - EVALUATION OF A SCREENING-PROGRAM IN A SWEDISH COUNTY

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an early scree ning programme for communicative disturbances in relation to the healt h status of the child at the age of 4 years. Materials and methods: A case-control study including 705 cases and 2451 controls was performed . Results: Cases with communication disorders as well as other types o f disabilities at 4 years of age showed a higher frequency of deviant screening results on each screening occasion. The sensitivity for the screening programme amounted to 24.8%, the specificity was 95.5% and t he positive predictive value was 61.2%.