Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
The effects of prenatal HIV exposure on language functioning in Kenyan children: establishing an evaluative framework
K J Alcock1, Amina Abubakar2,3,4, Charles R Newton3,5
1Department of Psychology, Fylde College, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YF, UK. k.j.alcock@lancaster.ac.uk.
Background:
HIV infection has been associated with impaired language development in prenatally exposed children. Although most of the burden of HIV occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, there have not been any comprehensive studies of HIV exposure on multiple aspects of language development using instruments appropriate for the population.
Methods:
We compared language development in children exposed to HIV in utero to community controls (N = 262, 8-30 months) in rural Kenya, using locally adapted and validated communicative development inventories.
Results:
The mean score of the younger HIV-exposed uninfected infants (8-15 months) was not significantly below that of the controls; however older HIV-exposed uninfected children had significantly poorer language scores, with HIV positive children scoring more poorly than community controls, on several measures.
Conclusions:
Our preliminary data indicates that HIV infection is associated with impaired early language development, and that the methodology developed would be responsive to a more detailed investigation of the variability in outcome amongst children exposed to HIV, irrespective of their infection status.
More Related Videos
07:36Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
05:13Preclinical Model of Prenatal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure to Assess Its Impact on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Published on: February 28, 2025
Related Concept Videos
01:22Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:27Language and Cognition
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...