Speech Disorders among College Freshmen

A 13-Year Survey

¹ University of Alabama—Tuscaloosa

This report provides data collected over a 13-year period on communicative disorders among college freshmen. The students were examined for existing speech disorders and questioned about recovery from previous disorders, with and without treatment. At examination, 2.42% exhibited articulation, voice, or fluency disorders; whereas an additional 2.34%, no longer exhibiting problems, reported recovery from previous disorders. Articulation therapy was reportedly effective in recovery (46%), whereas therapy for fluency disorders was less effective (24%) than spontaneous recovery (35%). Although voice disorders were evident at examination, self-perception of previous voice problems was almost nonexistent. The data, compared with those from other reports, confirm that direct examination produces prevalence rates higher than those found via informant interview methods.