Prevention of specific speech and language disorders: Psycho-linguistic screening – School Project (PLS-SP)
Patrizia Zago, Franca Fanzago
An early diagnosis of specific language disorder (SLD) allows speech rehabilitative intervention programmes to be scheduled in preschool age, which is an important factor in preventing evolution into learning disorder (LD). In this article a Prevention Programme for the detection of SLD and prerequisites for school learning delay (PLD) during preschool age is presented. It is developed in three canonical prevention phases. In particular, the acts of secondary prevention are structured around a selective screening intervention, named Psycho-linguistic Screening – School Project (PLS-SP), addressing a risk population selected by appropriately trained nursery teachers. Through analysis of the outcomes, the programme has been proven to support integration and collaboration between child health services and schools; it has appropriateness, efficacy and efficiency criteria; and it has a positive effect on children, their family and on society as a whole, due to the control of costs allocated to the rehabilitation.
Keywords
Psycholinguistic screening, Specific speech disorder, Appropriateness, Efficacy, Efficiency.