PURPOSE: to characterize the local population directed to the service of Speech Pathology of Núcleo Psicopedagógico Infanto-Juvenil- NAPPI, in addition to offering a contribution for future research in Speech Language Pathology in the scope of the public health. METHODS: the study was carried on children' screening waiting line of NAPPI. A descriptive analysis of the referring data, regarding the period of screening, origin of the guiding, age, sex and speech pathology complaints, was carried out. RESULTS: within 161 guides, the majority (41%) were done by doctors, where the male gender represented 66% of the children, with age between five and ten years (60%). In accordance with the submitted complaints, the most frequent were alterations of speech (46%), followed by alterations of language (18%) and orofacial myology (15%). With relation to the number of complaints per guide, one complaint represents 38%, two complaints 53% and 9% three associated complaints. CONCLUSION: the profile of the Speech-Language Pathology demand in the city of Ribeirão das Neves is characterized by the prevalence of male gender, with age between the five and ten years, directed in its majority by doctors and presenting two associated complaints. The most frequent one was speech alterations (46%).
Public Health; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Health Promotion; Disease Prevention
