A descriptive study to determine the prevalence of language communication disorders among pre-school children (an applied study in health institutions - South East Governorate - Sultanate of Oman (

Language communication is an integral part of human behavior. The ability to communicate with others is a basic skill of social interaction and human existence. Language acquisition in humans and their ability to speak, pronounce and express their daily needs is a basic pattern of growth and communication between individuals. Therefore, any problem in the developmental stages of growth greatly affects the language skills, social and academic behaviors of children. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of language communication disorders among children followed up in the Speech and Language Pathology Clinic at Sur Reference Hospital, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, Sultanate of Oman. The descriptive cross-sectional approach was used by applying it to a sample of (189) preschool children aged between (3-6) years who were followed up in the Speech and Language Pathology Clinic at Sur Reference Hospital, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, starting from January to December 2019, and who were referred from inpatient or outpatient clinics or attended directly to the Speech and Language Pathology Clinic for diagnosis and treatment. A questionnaire was designed to collect social, health, demographic and disorder category information for each gender (male or female) of children being followed up in the speech and language clinic. This design is consistent with the basic “Shifa 3 Plus” program used by the Omani Ministry of Health to record all healthcare data for the followed-up patients, with the design of a therapeutic program of sensory stimuli (auditory, visual and motor) for sounds, pronunciation of letters and speech to assess, diagnose and determine the type of language communication disorders in preschool children. The results showed the prevalence of language communication disorders among preschool children, whether according to the variable of age, gender, or type of language communication disorder category in (language or speech, pronunciation, or sound), region, or family relationships.