Prevalence of Language Delay among Healthy Preterm Children, Language Outcomes and Predictive Factors

Area of Science:

• Developmental Pediatrics
• Child Language Acquisition
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Language delay (LD) in preterm children is a significant concern, yet research often focuses on high-risk or extremely preterm infants.
• Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding the developmental trajectory of language delay and its link to later language impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of language delay in low-risk preterm children versus full-term children over a longitudinal period (10-60 months).
• To identify predictors of language delay at 22, 30, and 60 months of age in preterm and full-term children.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study design tracking language development from 10 to 60 months.
• Involved three groups of preterm children with varying gestational ages and one group of full-term children.
• Utilized ANOVA for group comparisons and logistic regression to identify risk factors for language delay.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in language delay prevalence were found between gestational age groups of preterm children.
• Healthy preterm children, as a general group, do not exhibit a higher risk of language delay compared to full-term children.
• Previous language delay and cognitive delay were the strongest, most persistent predictors of later language impairment.

Conclusions:

• Gestational age is not a significant factor in the development of language delay in low-risk preterm children.
• Early predictors like limited gesture use and male gender influenced early language delay but diminished over time.
• Low maternal education showed a later impact on language development, while prior language and cognitive delays are critical indicators for future language impairment.