The Prevalence of Visual Disorders in Speech and Language Delayed Children

Many of the tests used in speech and language evaluations involve visual stimuli. It is assumed that the child being tested has adequate vision to perform these tests. The present study examined the prevalence of vision problems in speech and language delayed children to determine if a routine vision screening is necessary. The study also investigated whether student speech pathologists\u27 screening results were significantly different from an optometrist\u27s results. Prior to actual testing, the student speech pathologists were taught how to administer and score a vision screening composed of tests from the Modified Clinical Technique. The children were initially screened by their own clinicians and then re-screened by an optometrist. The sample population consisted of 25 children, ages three to eight years old, who were receiving therapy at the La Sierra Hearing, Language and Speech Center. Statistical analysis found that the prevalence of visual disorders in the sample population was not significantly greater than the incidence found in the general population. Analysis of the screenings indicated that there was no significant difference between the student speech pathologists\u27 and optometrist\u27s results. However, when each test was compared, there was a significant difference in the results obtained for visual acuity and ocular motility dysfunction. These differences were due to over referral by the student speech pathologists. Although results indicate that there is no significant difference between a general population and the sample population, the finding that 28 percent of the speech and language delayed children have possible visual disorders indicates that it may be beneficial to train student speech pathologists to conduct effective vision screenings as part of a complete speech and language evaluation