300 Section - Parental Knowledge and Practices Regarding Speech and Language Delay in Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Language development in early childhood has a fundamental role in shaping a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Parents play a prominent role in their children’s language development, thus it is very important for parents to increase their knowledge about speech and language development in children. This study aims to describe parental knowledge and practices regarding speech and language delay in children in Pekanbaru, Indonesia.

Design:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents with  children diagnosed with speech and language delay. A total of 156 parents in Zainab Hospital (Pekanbaru, Indonesia) were actively participated in the survey. A Google survey of 39 questions, including demographic information, knowledge, and practice sections, was distributed in November 2025.

Results:

More than two-thirds of the participants were women (n= 120; 76.9%). 66.7% of the participants had acceptable knowledge of speech and language milestones, 25.6% demonstrated poor knowledge and only 7.7% demonstrated good knowledge. Most of children were  predominantly breastfed (89.7%).  For the first two years pediatrician routine examination, only 34.8% had nine visits or more. Most of the children frequently played outdoor (36.1% had more than three times a week and 36.1% had 2-3 times a week). 40.4% of children spend 1-2 hours per day on screen with cell phones as the main device used (40.4%). The primary sources of children's milestones include internet and social media (60.4%).

Conclusion:

This study shows that most parents had acceptable knowledge regarding language milestones and speech delay. Positive parental practices related to language development including the importance of breastfeeding and outdoor playing had been practiced quite well. However,  it still needed to reduce screen time especially in children that already diagnosed with speech and language delay and provide more education of speech and language delay in primary healthcare system, including the importance of the first two years pediatrician examination.