Language Screening as a Factor in the Management of the Pediatric Otolaryngic Patient: Effectiveness and Efficiency

• The Early Language Milestone Scale, a screening test for language in children from birth to 36 months of age, was applied to the total population of pediatric otolaryngic patients. Ninety-seven percent of the patients were found to have a completed screen. Thirty percent of the patients failed one or more portions of the Early Language Milestone screen. Practice management was modified by the results of the Early Language Milestone in all the patients who failed the screen. The Early Language Milestone was found to be efficient and effective in contributing to the managment of the children with pediatric otolaryngic disorders and diseases. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1991;117:1021-1025)