Reach Out and Read Literacy Program for Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Pre-Post Experimental Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Neonatology

Background:

• Elevated prevalence of linguistic delay in children necessitates improved language development strategies.
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates are at higher risk for developmental delays, including language impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Reach Out and Read (ROR) intervention on the language development of infants admitted to the NICU.
• To assess the impact of ROR on general movement assessment (GMA) and the Bayley Scale of Infant Development III (BSID III) language subtest.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month Reach Out and Read (ROR) intervention was implemented for 18 NICU infants (≥7 days stay, APGAR >6).
• General Movement Assessment (GMA) was performed at corrected ages 3 and 5 months.
• The Bayley Scale of Infant Development III (BSID III) language subtest was administered at corrected age 6 months.

Main Results:

• The Wilcoxon matched paired test indicated significant improvements in GMA over time (P = .0277; P = .0431).
• The 6-month parent-delivered ROR intervention demonstrated effectiveness in promoting developmental trajectories.

Conclusions:

• The Reach Out and Read (ROR) intervention is effective in enhancing the general movement developmental trajectories of infants admitted to the NICU.
• Parent-delivered ROR shows potential as a strategy to improve language development and overall development in high-risk infants.