Nearly 1 in 10 Children Had Already Seen a Speech Therapist in 2019!

In January 2024, the Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) published the results of a study on children’s and teenagers’ use of speech therapists: nearly 1 in 10 children saw this professional in 2019, with different reasons depending on sex and age. Oral and written language disorders are the main reasons for consultation among children aged 3 to 10…

1.25 million children and teenagers saw a speech therapist in 2019

The DREES study reveals that nearly 9% of minors consulted a speech therapist in France at least once during 2019: 1.25 million children and teenagers, for more than 21 million sessions.

Aged 6 to 10, half of them were in primary school, with a clear predominance among boys (59% versus 41%). For Camille, a professional practising in La Garde, in the Var region: “the number of requests has increased, because more prevention work is being done. Teachers are more aware, particularly at school.” [1]

Oral and written language disorders, the leading reasons for consultation

The study highlights 8 categories of speech-therapy treatment as reasons for consultation.

First come oral language disorders (speech delay, communication disorders), which affect more than 8 in 10 children aged 3 to 5. This percentage then falls in primary school, even though it remains the most common reason for consultation (43%), ahead of written language disorders (37%) – namely, dyslexia or dysorthographia.

From the age of 7, logico-mathematical disorders appear (4%), increasing through middle and high school to reach 10% of reasons for consultation. But between the ages of 11 and 17, the main reason for seeing a speech therapist remains handwriting disorders (dysgraphia) and written language disorders (56.6%).

A gender and regional disparity

The DREES report reveals that, at the same age, boys and girls do not consult for the same reasons. In primary school, boys consult a speech therapist around 1.4 times more often than girls, most commonly for stuttering or dysphasia. In adolescence, they tend to suffer more from written language disorders. Girls, meanwhile, present more logico-mathematical disorders, both in primary school and in middle and high school.

At regional level, consultations also reflect the disparity in the density of speech therapists. While the average stood at 135 per 100,000 children in 2019, some departments show very different figures, such as Cantal, where there are 40 professionals per 100,000 children. Conversely, Hérault has 255, and Paris has 228… Note that in overseas departments, this density is also highly uneven: 190 in Réunion and 19 in French Guiana.

Fortunately, on the Ora-Visio platform, it is possible to find speech therapists specialising in DYS disorders, available regardless of geography, since they can be reached directly online.

[1] Source: https://www.parents.fr/actualites/etre-parent/voici-pourquoi-les-enfants-consultent-plus-souvent-les-orthophonistes-1055361