title: Risk factors identification in children with speech disorders: pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the main risk factors related to children and their parents, associated with speech and language disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective descriptive study conducted with 170 children and their parents assisted at a school clinic in the period between March 2010 and July 2012. A protocol was developed for this study in order to identify risk factors for language and speech disorders. Data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics by the χ² and Student's t-test .
  
  
  RESULTS
  The demographic profile is composed of male children aged between 4 and 5 years old, ethnicity declared by parents as being white, residents of the western region of the city of São Paulo, and whose parents had completed high school. The factors related to family and considered as risks for language impairment were being an only child and having a family history of speech and language disorders. As for the children' s health, prematurity, hospitalization for a long period, and the presence of deleterious oral habits were also considered as risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The protocol allows establishing the main risk factors related to children with speech and language disorders. It is suggested that children who present with one or more of the aforementioned risk factors should be regularly monitored for speech and language development and, if necessary, referred for early intervention.
authors.forename: Gabriela Martins Duarte
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Maria Inês Vieira
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Couto
authors.forename: Daniela Regina
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Molini-Avejonas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007804:Language Development; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult