Management von Sprachentwicklungsstörungen und Aussprachestörungen bei Kindern: Teil 1: Diagnosen und Ursachen

Compared to other countries, the prevalence of speech-language disorders among children and also the intervention frequency appear to be much higher in Germany. Since otorhinolaryngologists often initiate speech-language interventions, the first part of this review systematically outlines the guideline-conform diagnostic pathway from examination to therapeutic intervention. The process of first developing a suspected diagnosis which justifies speech-language tests is explained. Beyond this, the rational selection of a set of tests from all those available—some of which the otorhinolaryngologist can perform, some of which require referral—is discussed, as is how these results can be used to assess the severity of the disorder. A special focus of this paper is the differential diagnosis of underlying causes, e. g., hearing disorders and global developmental disorders. A complete set of tests permits a working diagnosis and ICD-10 classification of the case.