PREVALENCE OF SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT IN KINDERGARTEN-CHILDREN

This epidemiologic study estimated the prevalence of specific language impairment (SLI) in monolingual English-speaking kindergarten childre n. From a stratified cluster sample in rural, urban, and suburban area s in the upper midwest, 7,218 children were screened. The language scr eening failure rate was 26.2%. Children who failed the screening and a similar number of controls were then administered a diagnostic batter y (n = 2,084) that provided for a diagnosis of SLI using common diagno stic standards. Results provided an estimated overall prevalence rate of 7.4%. The prevalence estimate for boys was 8% and for girls 6%. Var iation in prevalence wets found among children of different racial/cul tural backgrounds; however, these background variables were found to b e correlated with parental education, which was also associated with S LI. The parents of 29% of the children identified as SLI reported they had previously been informed that their child had a speech or languag e problem. The prevalence estimates obtained fell within recent estima tes for SLI, but demonstrated that this condition is more prevalent am ong females than has been previously reported. Also, the clinical iden tification of these children remains low among kindergarteners.