Promoting language and literacy through shared book reading in the NICU: A scoping review

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at a heightened risk for language and literacy delays and disorders. Despite the well-established empirical support for early shared reading, the available evidence to date has been scant, revealing mixed results. This study sought to characterize current research on shared reading in the NICU using a scoping review methodology.

Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, written in the English language, focused on human infants in the NICU, and published between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2023. No population age range was applied, and quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs were considered. Database searches yielded 338 articles with only eight articles meeting eligibility criteria for inclusion.

In spite of a modest number of studies on this topic, utilizing limited methodologies, the evidence from this scoping review shows the benefits of shared reading for infants and their caregivers during their NICU stay. Expanding such efforts by embedding shared reading as part of standard practice is recommended.