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Linguistic features in children born very preterm at preschool age
Author(s) -
Guarini Annalisa,
Marini Andrea,
Savini Silvia,
Alessandroni Rosina,
Faldella Giacomo,
Sansavini Alessandra
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/dmcn.13118
Subject(s) - wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence , psychology , comprehension , memory span , cognition , developmental psychology , intelligence quotient , wechsler intelligence scale for children , phonology , wechsler adult intelligence scale , raven's progressive matrices , working memory , linguistics , psychiatry , philosophy
Aim This cross‐sectional study focused on the effect of very preterm ( VPT ) birth on language development by analysing phonological, lexical, grammatical, and pragmatic skills and assessing the role of cognitive and memory skills. Method Sixty children (29 males, 31 females) born VPT (<32wks) aged 5 years were compared with 60 children with typical development. The linguistic assessment was performed by administering a battery of Italian tests for the evaluation of language; cognitive and memory skills were assessed by Raven's coloured progressive matrices and digit span subtest (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [ WISC ‐ III ]). Results Children born VPT showed delays in lexical (comprehension: z ‐score difference −1.18; 95% confidence interval [ CI ] −1.60 to −0.77; naming: −0.88; 95% CI −1.19 to −0.58) and pragmatic skills (comprehension: −0.76; 95% CI −1.02 to −0.49; narrative production: −0.47; 95% CI −0.72 to −0.23). Delays in phonology and grammar were less diffuse, involving productive skills (−1.09; 95% CI −1.64 to −0.54; −0.48; 95% CI −0.85 to −0.12, respectively), and were dependent by cognitive and memory skills. Lexical delays were more specific. Interpretation The linguistic profile of children born preterm is characterized by some abilities more impaired than others. This highlights the need of a linguistic assessment at the end of preschool age in order to plan a focused intervention aimed at improving lexical and pragmatic skills.