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Assessing speech exposure in the NICU: Implications for speech enrichment for preterm infants
Melissa L Scala1, Virginia A Marchman2, Claire Godenzi3
1Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA. mscala@stanford.edu.
Insights
Speech exposure in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was quantified for preterm infants. Developmental care, particularly intentional voice exposure, significantly increased speech counts, suggesting its importance for infant stimulation.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Speech-language pathology
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience limited auditory stimulation.
- Understanding speech exposure is crucial for optimizing developmental outcomes in vulnerable infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify speech exposure in preterm infants over multiple days.
- To examine the relationship between speech exposure and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care practices.
Main Methods:
- Continuous speech exposure measures were collected for 21 preterm infants (<34 weeks gestational age) over 5-14 days.
- Infants were housed in incubators or open cribs.
- Care periods (routine, developmental) and delivery source (family, medical staff, cuddler) were identified via chart review.
Main Results:
- Infants spent 13% of their time in care, with developmental care comprising over 75% of this time.
- Speech counts were higher during care versus no care, in more mature versus less mature infants, and in open cribs versus incubators.
- Family participation varied, with the highest speech counts during intentional voice exposure.
Conclusions:
- Care activities constitute a small fraction of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience.
- Speech exposure during developmental care, especially with intentional voice exposure, is a key source of auditory stimulation.
- Findings suggest implications for enhancing care practices to increase beneficial speech exposure for preterm infants.
Objective:
Quantify NICU speech exposure over multiple days in relation to NICU care practices.
Methods:
Continuous measures of speech exposure were obtained for preterm infants (n = 21; 12 M) born <34 weeks gestational age in incubators (n = 12) or open cribs (n = 9) for 5-14 days. Periods of care (routine, developmental) and delivery source (family, medical staff, cuddler) were determined through chart review.
Results:
Infants spent 13% of their time in Care, with >75% of care time reflecting developmental care. Speech counts were higher during care than no care, for mature vs. immature infants, and for infants in open cribs vs. incubators. Family participation in care ranged widely, with the highest speech counts occurring during periods of intentional voice exposure.
Conclusions:
Care activities represent a small portion of NICU experiences. Speech exposure during Developmental Care, especially with intentional voice exposure, may be an important source of stimulation. Implications for care practices are discussed.
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