Communication difficulties in children aged 2 to 15 years with motor speech disorders attending cerebral palsy clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital - Kampala district.

Abstract

Back ground and Aim; Communication difficulties in children with Motor Speech Disorders ranges from unintelligible speech, completely nonverbal state to inability to use gestures for communication which affect their social , community participation, and general quality of life. In Uganda there is still a gap in identifying proper management and addressing communication needs of these children The overall aim of this study was to determine the communication difficulties in children aged 2-15years attending Cerebral palsy Clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital – Kampala. Research methods and design: A cross sectional study was used in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire that captured demographic, communication difficulties and their impact on these children’s social and community participation. Results; Majority of participants 19 (76%) were males, most participants 17 (68%) ranged between 2-5years of age, and Luganda was the most used language at home with 20 (80%) participants. All participants 25 (100%) were hearing, however 17 (68%) were not following instructions, 15 (60%) participants were nonverbal, and only 9 (36%) participants used gestures and 18 (72) % had unintelligible communication. Majority of participants 17 (68%) were not attending school, equally 23 (92%) were not able to write or read. The highest number of participants 19 (76%) did not have friends. Only 11 (44%) participants were able to feed independently, 8 (32%) participants managed their personal hygiene and 7 (28%) participants were able to dress or undress themselves, 2(8%) were engaging actively in school activities, and finally 14 (56%) were not able to do independently any task that included daily living activities. Conclusion; Children with motor speech disorders have various communication difficulties that affect their social and community participations which lowers their quality of life.