{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T01:36:23Z","timestamp":1787016983396,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,17]],"date-time":"2025-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744848000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":16,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,4]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common communication disorder that impacts children\u2019s ability to learn, comprehend and use language effectively, yet it remains under-researched, particularly in the Arab countries. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive narrative summary on the epidemiology of DLD among children aged \u226410 years in the Arab countries.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A scoping review.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Data sources<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Eligibility criteria<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We included studies that reported on the prevalence or risk factors of DLD in children aged \u226410 years from any Arab country. Only peer-reviewed publications were considered, and the study populations were required to consist of children without underlying medical conditions known to contribute to language or speech delay.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Data extraction and synthesis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Two reviewers independently performed abstract and full-text screening and extracted relevant data. The risk factors identified as linked to DLD were grouped into maternal and perinatal factors, factors related to children and family and environmental factors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>From 4832 citations, 17 were deemed eligible and included in this review. The reviewed studies were conducted in only seven Arab countries, with the majority from Egypt (eight studies, 47.1%) and Saudi Arabia (four studies, 23.5%). The reported prevalence of DLD ranged from 3.2% in Egyptian children aged 3\u20136 years to 25.6% in Saudi Arabian children aged 1\u20135 years. Among the identified risk factors for DLD were sex, low birth weight, a history of speech and language delay in the family, parental socioeconomic status, perinatal complications, larger family size and early screen exposure.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The reported prevalence of DLD varied across the seven Arab countries. Strategies to address the preventable underlying DLD-associated risk factors are required. There is a clear gap in evidence related to the burden of DLD among children in most of the 22 Arab countries, which warrants further research.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-089667","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,17]],"date-time":"2025-04-17T23:55:11Z","timestamp":1744934111000},"page":"e089667","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Epidemiology of developmental language disorder among children in the Arab countries: a scoping review"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5850-7002","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ghada S M","family":"Al-Bluwi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Asma","family":"AlNababteh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Dubai, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandra","family":"Marquis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech-Language Pathology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6102-0353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rami H","family":"Al-Rifai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7151-2175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iffat","family":"Elbarazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5292-8212","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luai A","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025101811004063000_15.4.e089667.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1068","DOI":"10.1111\/jcpp.12721","article-title":"Phase 2 of CATALISE: a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: Terminology","volume":"58","author":"Bishop","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Child Psychol Psychiatry"},{"key":"2025101811004063000_15.4.e089667.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0158753","article-title":"CATALISE: A Multinational and Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus Study. 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