Speech and Language Development after Infant Tracheostomy

Abstract

This study describes the speech/language development of 31 children who had been fitted with an endotracheal tube. Intubation in all cases occurred prior to 13 months of age and remained in situ for more than 3 months. These children were chosen from a pool of 130 potential subjects. Individuals diagnosed as having a primary neurological disorder, developmental delays, or mental retardation were excluded from the study. Demographic, birth, and medical factors that might also affect language outcome were documented. Standardized outcome measures were used to assess speech, language, and cognitive development of the children seen for testing. For the entire group of children, the overall measures of language functioning at follow-up were within normal limits and commensurate with cognitive ability. However, when a breakdown of results based on the children's ages was done, a clear pattern of language disability was noted in the expressive language of the oldest group of children tested. These findings raise questions about this group of children who were previously thought to develop speech and language skills normally.