Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
06:19

Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development

Published on: April 19, 2024

695

Sitting Acquisition and Early Communication Development: Are There Associations in Very Preterm Infants at Six Months

Valentina Graziosi1, Chiara Suttora1, Cecilia Gorini1

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

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Motor and communication skills are linked in very preterm infants. Achieving sitting posture supports expressive language and vocalization, highlighting the need for integrated developmental assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

  • Associations between early motor and communication development are established in typically developing populations.
  • The relationship between motor skills, particularly postural development, and communication advancements is less understood in very preterm infants.
  • Previous research has not sufficiently investigated these connections in the preterm population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe gross and fine motor skills and receptive and expressive communication skills in very preterm infants at six months corrected age.
  • To investigate the associations between motor and communication skills, with a focus on sitting posture and vocal production.
  • To identify potential developmental delays and inform tailored intervention programs.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy very preterm infants (≤32 weeks) without major brain injuries were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III).
  • Infants were categorized based on unsupported sitting ability: sitters, emerging sitters, and non-sitters.
  • Sitting posture duration and vocal utterance frequency were coded using specialized software (Interact and CHILDES).

Main Results:

  • Significant positive correlations were found between the motor composite score and overall/expressive language scores.
  • A negative association was observed between the duration of arms-supported sitting and vocal utterances.
  • Infants who achieved unsupported sitting (sitters) demonstrated significantly higher BSID-III expressive language scores and vocal utterance rates compared to non-sitters and emerging sitters.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides novel evidence linking early motor and vocal development in very preterm infants.
  • Sitting posture achievement is associated with enhanced expressive language and vocal production.
  • Integrating observational methods with standardized assessments is crucial for identifying developmental delays and planning interventions in this population.

Keywords:
early communication developmentearly motor developmentearly vocal productionsitting posturevery preterm infants

More Related Videos

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

33.9K
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

8.3K

Related Concept Videos

Language Development01:22

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
317
Autism Spectrum Disorder01:19

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
58
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
55
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
37
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...
33