[Specific remedial therapy in a specialist unit: evaluation of 31 children with severe, specific language or reading disorders over one academic year].

INTRODUCTION: Up to 3 percent of the children in France present severe and specific language and/or reading disorders, despite regular remedial therapies. Few studies have measured the effectiveness of treatment administered in a specialist unit.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: The aims of this study, focusing on children diagnosed as dysphasic and/or dyslexic, were: During the academic year 2001-2002, 31 children (18 dyslexic and 13 dysphasic) were attending school in our unit. The teaching program and intensive speech therapy (3 hours/week) were tailored for each child according to his/her specific disorders. Reading, spelling and numeracy developmental skills of each child were evaluated by appropriate tools at the beginning and at the end of the year. Impairment was defined by measuring the gap between the observed and the expected skills, according to each child's age. Using a self-control method, progress achieved by each child throughout the year was calculated with each tool, in each subject, by subtracting the impairments disclosed at the beginning from those disclosed at the end of the year. Progression was classified within three groups according to the progress normally expected over an academic year (i.e. nine months) from children with no disabilities attending school regularly; a progression fewer than three months was considered as no progression. Uni- and multivariate analyses including age (< or= or />9), type of pathology (dysphasia/dyslexia), and intellectual quotient (IQ) as covariates was carried out to search for independent prognosticators.

RESULTS: The entire group demonstrated during the year significant progress for reading (p = 0.0001), spelling (p = 0.0001) and numeracy (p = 0.0001). Nineteen children (61 percent) showed more progress in reading than normally expected over nine months. Out of the remaining 12 children, 10 demonstrated more progress in spelling and/or numeracy than normally expected over nine months. All three reading evaluation tools disclosed a progression although one was less efficient (p = 0.05). Multivariate analysis disclosed age< or=9 and dysphasia as independent progress prognosticators.

CONCLUSION: Placement in a specialist unit allows children suffering from severe dyslexia and dysphasia to lessen the gap in reading, spelling and numeracy. The two prognosticators disclosed highlight the importance of early diagnosis (i.e. before nine years old) and treatment of specific language and/or reading disorders.