Language development of low risk preterm infants up to the age of 30 months
Miguel Pérez-Pereira1, Pilar Fernández1, María Luisa Gómez-Taibo2
1University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Insights
Low-risk preterm toddlers show no significant delays in language development compared to full-term peers. Gestures and early comprehension influence initial word production, but cognitive scores and earlier word production are key predictors later on.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Linguistic Development
- Neonatal Research
Background:
- Preterm birth can impact neurodevelopmental outcomes, including language.
- Understanding linguistic trajectories in low-risk preterm populations is crucial for early intervention.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on language development in preterm children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare lexical and grammatical development in low-risk preterm and full-term children.
- To assess language development at 10, 22, and 30 months of corrected age.
- To investigate factors influencing linguistic development in these groups.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 150 low-risk preterm and 49 full-term children from birth.
- Communicative and linguistic abilities assessed using the Child Development Inventory (CDI) at 10, 22, and 30 months.
- Cognitive development and family environment assessed at 22 months; hierarchical regression used for predictive analysis.
Main Results:
- No significant delays in communicative, lexical, or grammatical development were found in low-risk preterm children.
- Gestures and early word comprehension predicted early word production, but this effect diminished over time.
- Cognitive scores and 22-month word production were the strongest predictors of language development at 30 months; gestational age was not a significant factor.
Conclusions:
- Low-risk preterm toddlers generally achieve typical linguistic development milestones.
- Early environmental and cognitive factors play a more significant role in later language development than gestational age alone.
- Findings suggest that close monitoring without specific early intervention may be sufficient for many low-risk preterm infants.
Purpose:
To compare the lexical and grammatical development of a group of low risk preterm children with a group of full-term children at 10, 22, and 30 months of corrected age. In addition, the effect of possible determinant factors on linguistic development was investigated.
Method:
An initial group of 150 low-risk PR children (mean GA: 32.62) and 49 FT children (mean GA: 39.70) recruited at birth were assessed at 10, 22, and 30 months of age. Communicative and linguistic abilities were measured at these three points in time through the CDI. Cognitive development and quality of family environment of the children, among other variables, were also assessed at 22 months of age. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed in order to test those factors which may contribute to prediction of language outcomes.
Results:
There was no significant delay in communicative, lexical or grammatical development of PR children. Even when comparisons were performed between fullterm and very preterm children, differences were not significant. Regression analyses indicate that gestures and early word comprehension predict very early word production development, but their effect disappears with time. The most important factors which predict language development at 30 months of age are previous cognitive scores and word production at 22 months of age. The results coming from group comparisons and from hierarchical regression analyses indicate that GA does not significantly affect language development from 10 to 30 months of age.
Conclusions:
Low risk preterm toddlers do not seem to be delayed in their linguistic development.
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