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The feasibility of universal screening for primary speech and language delay: findings from a systematic review of the literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2000

James Law ,
James Boyle ,
Frances Harris ,
Avril Harkness  and
Chad Nye
James Law
Affiliation:
Department of Language and Communication Science, City University, London, UK.
James Boyle
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde, Strathclyde, Scotland.
Frances Harris
Affiliation:
Department of Language and Communication Science, City University, London, UK.
Avril Harkness
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde, Strathclyde, Scotland.
Chad Nye
Affiliation:
Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Central Florida, Florida, USA.
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Abstract

This paper reports on a systematic review of the literature commissioned to examine the feasibility of universal screening for speech and language delay. The results, based on an examination of productivity figures, including positive predictive ability and likelihood ratio, indicate that a number of screening tests are adequate. Sensitivity was generally lower than specificity, and study quality was inversely related to both sensitivity and likelihood ratio, suggesting that it is easier to identify accurately children who do not have language and speech problems than those who do. The review concluded that there is insufficient evidence to warrant the introduction of universal screening at this stage. This paper discusses the type of data that would be needed to address this issue further and recommendations are made for alternative approaches to early identification.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , March 2000 , pp. 190 - 200
Copyright
© 2000 Mac Keith Press

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