Language development delay in 24-month-old children at a health care center of the City of Buenos Aires.

Introduction: Language development delay is a frequent challenge for pediatricians and other health care providers. The main objective of this study was to establish its prevalence among children attending a health care center.
Population and Methods: The expressive vocabulary of 24-month-old children attending a health care center was assessed using the Spanish language MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, short form (Argentine version). The association between language delay and demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral/emotional, and parental stress characteristics was analyzed. In children with expressive language delay, receptive vocabulary was assessed and possible underlying causes were studied (non-verbal cognitive delay, autistic spectrum disorders, middle ear pathology, and hearing impairment).
Results: Language development delay was observed in 16 out of 138 participants (11.6%; 95% confidence interval: 6.2-17%), significantly associated with a family history of language delay, parental stress, and problem behavior. Receptive vocabulary compromise was identified in 13 out of 16 children with language development delay, and 7 were suspected of autistic spectrum disorder, overall developmental delay, or both. A middle ear pathology was observed in 5 out of 9 studied children. The 9 participants who had an audiometry did not have pathological results based on this study's criteria.
Conclusions: Language development delay is a prevalent condition in our population and has been mainly associated with behavioral problems and a family history of language delay.
(Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.)