Parental Knowledge of Language Disorders among Children Aged 3–5 Years at Mbagathi Hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Parents and guardians are central to the early recognition of communication difficulties in young children, yet caregiver understanding of language disorders and referral pathways may be incomplete. Objective: To describe parental knowledge of language disorders among parents and guardians of children aged 3–5 years with language disorders attending Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study included 74 parents or guardians. Participants were selected using simple random sampling and completed a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge domains related to awareness, signs and symptoms, beliefs about late talking, relevant professionals, and sources of information. The questionnaire underwent expert review and had a reported Cronbach’s alpha of .83 for the parental-knowledge component. Data were analysed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics. Results: Seventy-two percent of respondents reported having heard of language disorders. Reported coded scores were 2.05 (SD = 1.04) for educational attainment, 1.72 (SD = 0.45) for awareness, 2.20 (SD = 0.95) for signs and symptoms, 1.72 (SD = 0.45) for beliefs about whether late-talking children always catch up without professional assistance, 1.72 (SD = 0.45) for knowledge of professionals, and 2.20 (SD = 0.95) for sources of information. The pattern suggested broad awareness but uneven knowledge regarding specific signs, professional support, and expectations about spontaneous improvement. Conclusion: Parents and guardians demonstrated variable knowledge across key domains. Structured, clinically delivered education on developmental communication milestones, warning signs, and referral pathways may support more timely recognition and help-seeking. Interpretation should remain cautious because the study was single-centre, cross-sectional, and based on self-reported questionnaire data.