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Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

Erica Neri1, Leonardo De Pascalis1, Francesca Agostini1

  • 1Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|November 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Reading books to preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can help mitigate language development delays. This intervention supported better language outcomes compared to a control group.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Pediatric language acquisition
  • Intervention studies

Background:

  • Preterm infants face significant risks for language development delays.
  • Exposure to parental voices via book-reading in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a potential intervention.
  • This study explored the benefits of NICU book-reading for preterm neonates' language development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of parental book-reading during NICU stays on the subsequent language development of preterm infants.
  • To compare language development trajectories between preterm infants exposed to book-reading and a control group.

Main Methods:

  • 100 families of preterm infants were recruited.
  • The Reading Group (55 infants) received a book and were encouraged to read to their neonate in the NICU and post-discharge.
  • The Control Group (45 infants) did not receive the intervention. Language development was assessed using the Griffith Mental Development Scales at multiple corrected ages.

Main Results:

  • While both groups showed a decrease in Hearing and Language quotients between 9 and 18 months, this decline was significantly less pronounced in the Reading Group.
  • The intervention group demonstrated a reduced rate of language development decline compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

  • Book-reading in the NICU is a feasible and beneficial intervention for preterm infants.
  • This practice can positively influence language development and strengthen parent-infant relationships.
  • Implementing NICU book-reading programs is recommended as a preventive measure for language delays in preterm children.
Abstract

Keywords:
NICUVLBWbook reading interventionlanguage developmentlongitudinal studypreterm infants

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