THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH VOWEL-CONSONANT SOUNDS AND SPEECH DELAY AMONG CHILDREN AGED 2–3 YEARS IN THE DASAN TAPEN, GERUNG HEALTH CENTER, WEST LOMBOK

Abstrak

Background: Speech delay is one of the most common developmental disorders in  early childhood and may negatively affect children’s communication, social  interaction, and academic readiness. Early language stimulation is essential to support  optimal speech and language development. Prenatal auditory stimulation has been  proposed as a potential early intervention to enhance fetal brain maturation and  auditory processing. Exposure to structured English vowel and consonant sounds may  improve auditory discrimination and strengthen neural pathways associated with  language acquisition.Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between  prenatal auditory stimulation using English vowel and consonant sounds and the risk  of speech delay in children.Methods: This quantitative study employed an analytical  observational design with a cross-sectional approach. The study was conducted in the  working area of Dasan Tapen Primary Health Center, Mataram, from January to  March 2026. A total of 60 mothers with children aged 24–60 months were selected  using purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on  prenatal auditory stimulation and child developmental screening using KPSP/DDST.  Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: Among the respondents, 39 mothers (65.0%) reported providing prenatal  auditory stimulation, while 20 children (33.3%) were identified as having speech  delay. Statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between prenatal  auditory stimulation and the risk of speech delay (p = 0.012).Conclusion: Prenatal  auditory stimulation through English vowel and consonant sounds was significantly  associated with a lower risk of speech delay in children and may serve as an effective  early preventive strategy to support language development