The prevalence of speech disorders among university students in Jordan.
Author: Alaraifi, J., Amayreh, M., & Saleh, M.
Source:
College Student Journal, 48(3), 425-436.
Problem: There are no available studies on the prevalence, and distribution of speech disorders among Arabic speaking undergraduate students in Jordan. Method: A convenience sample of 400 undergraduate students at the University of Jordan was screened for speech disorders. Two spontaneous speech samples and an oral reading of a passage were collected for this purpose. The students who have speech disorders were also asked questions related to situational factors, such as awareness of the disorder, and the need for speech therapy. Results: The prevalence of overall speech disorders in the studied sample was 7.5%. Voice disorders were the most common (4%), followed by articulation disorders (3%), and (0.5%) for fluency disorders. Conclusion: The results of this study would be very helpful in increasing public awareness and counseling regarding speech disorders among patients and/or families, and consequently seeking early identification and intervention.