Speech and hearing deficits

What are antecedents of schizophrenia?

Antecedents such as speech and hearing problems are subtle deviations in development that may become evident during childhood or adolescence. The presence of these deviations may foreshadow the later development of schizophrenia, however most children who exhibit these antecedents do not develop the disorder. Studies exploring antecedents are ideally based on representative, population-based samples that follow the group from birth through childhood and adolescence to adulthood. These studies can provide unique insights into the changes in developmental trajectories that may be associated with schizophrenia.

What is the evidence for speech and hearing deficits as antecedents of schizophrenia?

Moderate to high quality evidence finds medium to large effects of early language dysfunction in children who later develop schizophrenia. These include abnormal speech, delays in talking, poor quality of expressive and receptive language, and poor oral and reading ability in school. A small effect was found for poor word association ability.

Moderate to low quality evidence finds a medium to large increased risk of childhood speech and hearing impairment in people with schizophrenia.

March 2022

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Last updated at: 4:05 pm, 29th March 2022
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Tags:  Language

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