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Predictors for delayed linguistic skills in very preterm infants
M Resch1, S Bresele1, K Kager1
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Insights
Male sex, lower gestational age, severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and low maternal education predict delayed language skills in very preterm children. These factors are crucial for early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Development
- Pediatric Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children born preterm face higher risks for language impairments compared to term-born peers.
- Identifying early predictors is crucial for timely intervention in very preterm children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify early predictors of delayed linguistic skills in preschool-aged children born very preterm.
- To analyze the association between pre- and perinatal factors and language development.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of 421 very preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation).
- Detailed examination at age five, including cognitive (WPPSI-III/SON-R) and language (BISC) assessments for 248 children.
- Logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of poor BISC performance.
Main Results:
- 31.8% of children exhibited delayed literacy precursor skills.
- Multivariate analysis identified male sex, gestational age, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) grades 3-4, and low maternal education as significant predictors.
- These factors were associated with delayed linguistic skills at five years of age.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified key predictors for delayed literacy precursor skills in very preterm children.
- Pre- and perinatal factors, alongside sociodemographic variables, significantly influence linguistic development during the preschool period.
Background:
Preterm-born children are at higher risk for impaired linguistic abilities than are their term-born peers. The aim of the current study was to determine early predictors for delayed linguistic skills in very preterm-born preschool children.
Methods:
Between January 2005 and November 2010 all very preterm infants born at < 32 weeks gestation in Tyrol were prospectively enrolled (n = 421); 248 of them had a detailed examination at the age of five years including cognitive assessment (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III) or Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Tests (SON-R)) as well as a screening test for language skills (Bielefelder screening for early diagnosis of reading problems and weak spelling (BISC)). The association between pre-and postnatal factors and poor performance on the BISC assessment was analyzed by means of logistic regression analysis.
Results:
Of the 248 children 79 (31.8%) showed delayed literacy precursor skills. Male sex, gestational age, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) grades 3-4 and low maternal education were predictive for delayed linguistic skills at 5 years of age in the multivariate analysis.
Conclusion:
This study identified predictors for delayed literacy precursor skills. These data support the finding that in very preterm infants pre-and perinatal as well as sociodemographic factors account for linguistic skills in the preschool period.
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