Statistics on the prevalence of communication disorders in Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts have been made public by the All-India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), which carried out a survey engaging 599 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in rural pockets.
The survey began in 2012 and half the combined population of the three districts were covered in four years. The survey is elaborate, with trained ASHAs and speech pathologists and audiologists making door-to-door visits to understand the incidence.
The survey was taken up in different phases and levels, with the support of NGOs such as Karuna Trust and departments at AIISH. ASHAs were engaged because of their reach in rural pockets and the rapport they enjoy with the populace.
Two levels (2 and 4 of phase 1) of the survey found the percentage of communication disorders to be lower than 3% — 2.43% and 2.54%, respectively. The results of the other levels are being compiled and to be released soon.
AIISH director S.R. Savitri, the principal investigator in the project, told The Hindu that ear discharge and sensorineural hearing loss (caused by damage to the inner ear) were among the disorders noticed. This was followed by problems such as stuttering, cerebral palsy, cleft lip, and pronunciation issues. The incidence is low for all, she added.
“In places where it was difficult for people to visit AIISH for advanced screening, camps were conducted close to the villages,” she said, adding that the ASHAs were oriented at AIISH for identifying communication disorders.
She said the project aims to cover a population of 22 lakh covering three districts and the hope is to complete it by the end of this year. “I don’t think the prevalence of disorders will cross 3%,” Ms. Savitri said.
R. Manjula, former professor of Speech Pathology, R. Rajasudhakar, reader in Speech Sciences, Priya M.B., lecturer in Speech Sciences, and H. Sudharshan, secretary, Karuna Trust, were the co-investigators in the project.
Demographic sheets, short checklist to screen for developmental milestones in hearing, speech and language, and high risk register for screening persons with communication disorders were provided. “We had no record on the prevalence and therefore took up the survey. The idea is to facilitate evaluation and diagnosis of persons identified with various communication disorders and ensure they seek professional help,” she said.
The initiative is providing guidance and counselling for tertiary rehabilitation for those with established diagnosis of communication disorders.
