Ridge Hospital reports 40% increase in child communication disorders

The Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) has recorded alarming cases of communication disorders among children, prompting a call from Health officials for critical actions to tackle the growing concern.

A child with a communication disorder has trouble communicating with others and may not understand or make the appropriate sounds of speech.

Doctors at the Paediatric and Neo-Development Clinic at the Hospital reveal they have recorded a staggering 40% jump in communication disorders in this year alone.

Dr. Yvonne Brew, Head of the Clinic says 80% of the cases reported are among boys.

“Communication disorders just formed about 10% of the cases that I was seeing. However, as of June this year, half of all the children I’ve seen, which is about almost 50% are children with communication disorders and it’s very common, especially among boys. 80% of all the children coming with communication disorders are boys.”

Dr. Brew believes this surge can be attributed to the growing addiction to electronic devices among children.

She urged parents to stay vigilant for any unusual communication signs in their children and to seek medical attention promptly.

The Head of the ENT Unit at the Institutional Care Division at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Eunice Rabiatu Abdulai, has called for comprehensive baseline investigations.

She believes that a deeper understanding of this worrying trend is essential to managing it effectively.

“We will need more investigation to unravel this. If we have at least one audiologist in every Region, one speech therapy centre in every region, and build the capacity of health workers, we’ll be able to get to everybody in primary health care. As we teach, a lot of people will be aware, including health workers and then we can manage this problem effectively.”

Meanwhile, some parents with children suffering from communication disorders are calling on authorities to intensify education, especially during pregnancy to help tackle this issue.

Source: Citi News