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Language development of term and preterm children during the first five years of life
Insights
Preterm children, especially those with cerebral palsy, show delayed language development. Early language skills are influenced by factors like sex, birth weight, and perinatal health scores.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Early language development is crucial for cognitive and social outcomes.
- High-risk preterm children face potential developmental challenges.
- Cerebral palsy can significantly impact motor and communication skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare language development trajectories in high-risk preterm children and healthy term-born children.
- To investigate the impact of cerebral palsy on language acquisition in preterm infants.
- To identify factors influencing language development in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking language development from birth to five years.
- Assessment of 114 high-risk preterm children (including 20 with cerebral palsy) and 97 healthy term-born children.
- Utilized perinatal optimality score, birth weight, gestational age, sex, socioeconomic status, and birth order as variables.
Main Results:
- Preterm children, even without neurological impairment, exhibited slightly delayed language milestones compared to term-born peers.
- Preterm children with cerebral palsy demonstrated significant language delays and more articulation defects.
- Girls generally showed more advanced early language development and fewer articulation issues than boys.
- Perinatal optimality score strongly correlated with language development in preterm children.
- Lower birth weight and gestational age were negatively associated with language development.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth poses risks for language development, with cerebral palsy exacerbating these challenges.
- Sex, perinatal health, and early life factors significantly influence language acquisition.
- Early identification and intervention are vital for preterm children, particularly those with neurological impairments.
Abstract:
Language development during the first five years is reported for 114 high-risk preterm children (20 with varying degrees of cerebral palsy) and 97 healthy term children. Most stages of language development occurred at slightly later ages among the neurologically unimpaired preterm children than among those born at term. Preterm children with cerebral palsy were more delayed and had more articulation defects compared with neurologically unimpaired preterm children. Girls were more advanced in early language development and showed less articulation defects than boys. The perinatal optimality score was significantly correlated with the ages at which the stages of language development were reached, and with language performance at five years in preterm children, but much less in term children. Birthweight and gestational age were negatively correlated with language development at all ages. Socio-economic status and birth order had an age-related influences on language development, but no correlation was found with the number of minor congenital malformations.