The Interaction of Social, Physical and Nutritive Factors in Triggering Early Developmental Language Delay in a Sample of Egyptian Children

Ebtissam M Salah El-Din; Mona A Elabd; Maysa S Nassar; Ammal M Metwally; Ghada A Abdellatif; Thanaa M Rabah; Ashraf Shalaan; Sanaa Y Shaaban; Wafaa Kandeel; Lobna A El Etreby; Muhammad Al-Tohamy

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2019.642

The Interaction of Social, Physical and Nutritive Factors in Triggering Early Developmental Language Delay in a Sample of Egyptian Children

Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2019 Sep 12;7(17):2767-2774. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2019.642. eCollection 2019 Sep 15.

Affiliations

¹ Child Health Department, Medical Division, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
² Department of Community Medicine Research, Medical Division, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
³ Biological Anthropology Department, Medical Division, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
⁴ Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁵ Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Imbaba, Giza, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Language acquisition and child development during the early years of life depend on multiple interacting factors.

Aim: To explore potential factors that can impact language development in 2 groups of Egyptian children, one with normal language development and the second with delayed development. Also, to explore to what extent can the involvement of impaired motor development potentiate the risk of developmental language delay.

Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study involved Egyptian children belonging to the middle socioeconomic class between 18 and 36 months of age. Children were classified according to their performance on language domain of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III) into two groups, infants with the average or above score (control group) and those having below-average scores (cases). Motor development was assessed on the same scale. Factors affecting language development were tested, including socio-demographic, obstetric, and maternal medical factors in addition to Infant Feeding Practices.

Results: The independent factors lowering the language scores were early introduction of complementary food, low family income, history of delivery problems, pregnancy-related diseases of the mother, and maternal education. Impaired motor development appears as a further highly significant risk factor to the previously mentioned factors.

Conclusion: In Egyptian children, delayed language development is severely affected by the interaction of medical, social and nutritional factors. Providing adequate maternal health care during pregnancy and childbirth, regular developmental monitoring at each child visit, and screening for such risk factors, can reduce size of the problem and promote child's social and psychological development.

Keywords: Language development; Motor development; Risk factors; children.

Copyright: © 2019 Ebtissam M. Salah El Din, Mona A. Elabd, Maysa S. Nassar, Ammal M. Metwally, Ghada A. Abdellatif, Thanaa M. Rabah, Ashraf Shalaan, Sanaa Y. Shaaban, Wafaa Kandeel, Lobna A. El Etreby, Muhammad Al-Tohamy.