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Published on: July 1, 2015
[Oral and written language production in prematures children: results in 7 1/2-year-old]
Dominique Crunelle1, Marie-Thérèse Le Normand, Marie-José Delfosse
1Institut d'orthophonie Gabrielle-Decroix, Faculté de médecine, Lille, France.
Insights
Premature birth increases risks for cognitive delays, especially in language and reading. Early oral language screening at 3.5 years can predict future reading ability in at-risk preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Educational Psychology
Context:
- Prematurity is a significant risk factor for cognitive developmental delays.
- Language production and reading abilities are particularly vulnerable in preterm infants.
- Both physiological and environmental factors contribute to these developmental risks.
Purpose:
- To identify preterm children at higher risk for cognitive delays, specifically in language production and reading.
- To determine if early oral language screening at 3.5 years predicts later reading proficiency.
- To investigate the influence of sociocultural factors on cognitive outcomes in preterm children.
Summary:
- A cohort of 50 preterm children was monitored from age 2 to 7.5 years.
- 28% exhibited delayed language production at 3.5 years; 34% showed delayed reading at 7.5 years.
- Early language production at 3.5 years significantly predicted reading ability at 7.5 years.
Impact:
- Early identification of at-risk preterm children, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, is crucial.
- Oral language screening at 3.5 years can serve as an effective predictor for reading success.
- Findings support targeted early interventions to mitigate cognitive delays in preterm populations.
Abstract:
Prematurity entails risk factors of cognitive delay, particularly in language production and reading. These risk factors may be related to physiological and/or environmental variables. This study has two main objectives: (1) to track down which preterm children are most at risk of developing cognitive delays, particularly language production and reading; (2) to study whether screening of oral language in 3 1/2-year-olds predicts their future reading ability. A cohort of 50 pre-term children (23 boys and 27 girls) was followed from the ages of 2 to 7 1/2 years. The results show that: (a) 28% of the premature children present delayed language production at 3 1/2 years of age; (b) 34% of these children present delayed reading at 7 1/2 years of age; (c) language production at 3 1/2 years predicts the reading ability at 7 1/2 years, and (d) premature children who are most at risk are those who belong to low sociocultural groups.
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