Early delayed language development in very preterm infants: evidence from the MacArthur-Bates CDI
Susan Foster-Cohen1, Jamie O Edgin, Patricia R Champion
1University of Canterbury and the Champion Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand. susan.foster-cohen@canterbury.ac.nz
Journal of Child Language
|September 8, 2007
Summary
Very preterm birth significantly impacts early language development. Lower gestational age at birth is linked to poorer vocabulary, grammar, and sentence complexity in children, even after accounting for other factors.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Linguistics
Background:
- Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for developmental challenges.
- Early language development is crucial for overall child development and academic success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between very preterm birth and early language development.
- To determine the impact of gestational age on various aspects of language acquisition in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of 90 very preterm infants and 102 full-term infants.
- Assessment of language development at 2 years corrected age using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences (CDI-WS).
Main Results:
- A linear relationship was observed between gestational age and language outcomes.
- Children born extremely preterm (<28 weeks) performed worse than very preterm (28-32 weeks), who performed worse than full-term infants.
- These associations remained significant after controlling for child and family factors.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm birth is associated with pervasive delays in early language development.
- Gestational age is a critical predictor of language risk in infants born preterm.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for supporting language development in this population.
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