Preterm-born children spend the first weeks or months of their life in the NICU. During this critical development period, they are deprived of the sounds they would otherwise be hearing in utero. This invasive environment can have profound effects on auditory brain maturation and consequences for speech and language acquisition. The study found a positive correlation between the number of words heard during the first weeks of life and the language and cognitive scores. Therefore, they hypothesized that PT-born babies residing in the NICU would have higher cognitive and language scores if they were exposed more to adult talk.

Effect of Exposure to Auditory Stimuli in Intensive Care Units

Infants who reside in the Intensive Care Units are not exposed to their caregiver's full-time presence. The long periods of separation at the NICU can have negative consequences on infant's communication skills and emotional well-being. An important factor that influences language development in PT children is the quality of caregiver-infant relationship. When a child and a caregiver participate in meaningful interactions, the language development improves. However, when this relationship is disturbed by extensive NICU periods, the language development is also hindered. 

Dysfunctional Caregiver-Infant Relationship

a) Effect of Exposure to Auditory Stimuli in Intensive Care Units
b) Dysfunctional Caregiver-Infant Relationship

Considering brain development is mostly shaped by early sensory experiences, exposure to language in the infant’s environment is of utmost importance. Since PT-born infants are exposed earlier to the environment outside of the uterus, one can wonder what the impact of the exposure to the auditory environment has on the developing brain.

Saint Olaf College

1) Neuroanatomical Factors 
     a) Atypical Functional Brain Organization 
     b) Structural Abnormalities 
2) Postnatal Environmental Factors 
     a) Effect of Exposure to Auditory Stimuli in Intensive Care Units 
     b) Dysfunctional Caregiver-Infant Relationship  

Causes of Differences in Preterm Born Children's Language Development 

Vandormael, C., Schoenhals, L., Hüppi, P. S., Filippa, M., & Borradori Tolsa, C. (2019). Language in Preterm Born Children: Atypical Development and Effects of Early Interventions on Neuroplasticity. Neural plasticity, 2019, 6873270. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6873270


Language in Preterm Born Children: Atypical Development and Effects of Early Interventions on Neuroplasticity (2019)

Approximately 50-70% of very preterm (VPT) born infants are affected by diffuse white matter abnormalities such as loss of white matter volume, corpus callosum thinning, and delayed myelination. A recent study showed that the mean score on language tests at the age of 4 and 6 years significantly declined as the severity of white matter abnormalities increased. This is mainly because corpus callosum plays a crucial role in exchange of interhemispheric information, thus a deviation impacts the cognitive performance 

Structural Abnormalities 

Postnatal Environmental Factors 

a) Atypical Functional Brain Organization 
b) Structural Abnormalities 

According to recent studies, cerebral abnormalities associated with preterm birth might be a determinant of cognitive and linguistic development. Neuroimaging studies can help us identify predictors of development disorders so we can expand our knowledge about this topic.

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