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Marchman VA, Ashland MD, Loi EC, Munévar M, Shannon KA, Fernald A, Feldman HM. Early language processing efficiency and pre-literacy outcomes in children born full term and preterm. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 246:105980. [PMID: 38865929 PMCID: PMC11316658 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Language processing efficiency-that is, the skill at processing language in real time-assessed in toddlerhood is associated with later language outcomes in children born full term (FT) and preterm (PT) during school age. No studies to date have assessed patterns of relations between early language processing efficiency and pre-literacy skills, such as print knowledge and phonological awareness, and whether relations are similar in FT and PT children. In this study, participants (N = 94, 49 FT and 45PT) were assessed in the looking-while-listening (LWL) task at 18 months of age (corrected for degree of prematurity), deriving measures of processing speed and accuracy. At 4½ years of age, children were assessed on standardized tests of print knowledge, phonological awareness, and expressive language. Processing speed and accuracy predicted both pre-literacy outcomes (r2 change = 7.8%-19.5%, p < .01); birth group did not moderate these effects. Relations were significantly reduced when controlling for expressive language. Thus, early language processing efficiency supports later expressive language abilities, which in turn supports developing pre-literacy skills. Processing speed and phonological awareness were also directly related, indicating an independent role for processing speed in literacy development. Mediation effects were not moderated by birth group, suggesting a similar developmental pathway in FT and PT children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia A Marchman
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Melanie D Ashland
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Loi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mónica Munévar
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Anne Fernald
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Heidi M Feldman
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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2
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Nolte C, Michalska KJ, Nelson PM, Demir-Lira ӦE. Interactive roles of preterm-birth and socioeconomic status in cortical thickness of language-related brain structures: Findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Cortex 2024; 180:1-17. [PMID: 39243745 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Preterm-born (PTB) children are at an elevated risk for neurocognitive difficulties in general and language difficulties more specifically. Environmental factors such as socio-economic status (SES) play a key role for Term children's language development. SES has been shown to predict PTB children's behavioral developmental trajectories, sometimes surpassing its role for Term children. However, the role of SES in the neurocognitive basis of PTB children's language development remains uncharted. Here, we aimed to evaluate the role of SES in the neural basis of PTB children's language performance. Leveraging the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and behavior to date, we showed that prematurity status (PTB versus Term) and multiple aspects of SES additively predict variability in cortical thickness, which is in turn related to children's receptive vocabulary performance. We did not find evidence to support the differential role of environmental factors for PTB versus Term children, underscoring that environmental factors are significant contributors to development of both Term and PTB children. Taken together, our results suggest that the environmental factors influencing language development might exhibit similarities across the full spectrum of gestational age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin Nolte
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Kalina J Michalska
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Paige M Nelson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Ӧ Ece Demir-Lira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
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3
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Weaver H, Zettersten M, Saffran JR. Becoming word meaning experts: Infants' processing of familiar words in the context of typical and atypical exemplars. Child Dev 2024. [PMID: 38822689 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
How do infants become word meaning experts? This registered report investigated the structure of infants' early lexical representations by manipulating the typicality of exemplars from familiar animal categories. 14- to 18-month-old infants (N = 84; 51 female; M = 15.7 months; race/ethnicity: 64% White, 8% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 23% multiple categories; participating 2022-2023) were tested on their ability to recognize typical and atypical category exemplars after hearing familiar basic-level category labels. Infants robustly recognized both typical (d = 0.79, 95% CI [0.54, 1.03]) and atypical (d = 0.70, 95% CI [0.46, 0.94]) exemplars, with no significant difference between typicality conditions (d = 0.14, 95% CI [-0.08, 0.35]). These results support a broad-to-narrow account of infants' early word meanings. Implications for the role of experience in the development of lexical knowledge are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley Weaver
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Martin Zettersten
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jenny R Saffran
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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4
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Oesch N. Social Brain Perspectives on the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience of Human Language. Brain Sci 2024; 14:166. [PMID: 38391740 PMCID: PMC10886718 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Human language and social cognition are two key disciplines that have traditionally been studied as separate domains. Nonetheless, an emerging view suggests an alternative perspective. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of the social brain hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of brain size and intelligence), the social complexity hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of communication), and empirical research from comparative animal behavior, human social behavior, language acquisition in children, social cognitive neuroscience, and the cognitive neuroscience of language, it is argued that social cognition and language are two significantly interconnected capacities of the human species. Here, evidence in support of this view reviews (1) recent developmental studies on language learning in infants and young children, pointing to the important crucial benefits associated with social stimulation for youngsters, including the quality and quantity of incoming linguistic information, dyadic infant/child-to-parent non-verbal and verbal interactions, and other important social cues integral for facilitating language learning and social bonding; (2) studies of the adult human brain, suggesting a high degree of specialization for sociolinguistic information processing, memory retrieval, and comprehension, suggesting that the function of these neural areas may connect social cognition with language and social bonding; (3) developmental deficits in language and social cognition, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), illustrating a unique developmental profile, further linking language, social cognition, and social bonding; and (4) neural biomarkers that may help to identify early developmental disorders of language and social cognition. In effect, the social brain and social complexity hypotheses may jointly help to describe how neurotypical children and adults acquire language, why autistic children and adults exhibit simultaneous deficits in language and social cognition, and why nonhuman primates and other organisms with significant computational capacities cannot learn language. But perhaps most critically, the following article argues that this and related research will allow scientists to generate a holistic profile and deeper understanding of the healthy adult social brain while developing more innovative and effective diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments for maladies and deficits also associated with the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Oesch
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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Beaudin K, Poulin-Dubois D, Zesiger P. Touching while listening: Does infants' haptic word processing speed predict vocabulary development? JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2024; 51:37-55. [PMID: 36268841 PMCID: PMC10119325 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000922000423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined the links between haptic word processing speed, vocabulary, and inhibitory control among bilingual children. Three main hypotheses were tested: faster haptic processing speed, measured by the Computerized Comprehension Task at age 1;11, would be associated with larger concurrent vocabulary and greater longitudinal vocabulary growth. Second, early vocabulary size would be associated with greater vocabulary growth at 3;0 and 5;0. Finally, faster haptic processing speed would be associated with greater concurrent inhibitory control, as measured by the Shape Stroop Task. The results revealed that haptic processing speed was associated with concurrent vocabulary, but not predictive of later language skills. Also, early decontextualized vocabulary was predictive of vocabulary at 3;0. Finally, haptic processing speed measured in the non-dominant language was associated with inhibitory control. These results provide insight on the mechanisms of lexical retrieval in young bilinguals and expand previous research on haptic word processing and vocabulary development.
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Nelson PM, Demir-Lira ÖE. Parental cognitive stimulation in preterm-born children's neurocognitive functioning during the preschool years: a systematic review. Pediatr Res 2023; 94:1284-1296. [PMID: 37231307 PMCID: PMC10761195 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02642-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In the United States, survival rates for preterm neonates (<37 weeks of gestation) have tripled in recent years. In parallel, preterm-born children show poorer performance in neurocognitive functioning compared to their full-term peers (≥39 weeks of gestation), and biological models predicting preterm-born children's neurocognitive performance have been met with limited success, highlighting a need to focus on environmental factors. Thus, this systematic review examines the literature on parental cognitive stimulation in relation to preterm-born children's neurocognitive outcomes. Studies were considered for inclusion if they included a sample of preterm-born children, included a measure of parental cognitive stimulation, and included a measure of child neurocognitive performance. The databases searched were PubMed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Scopus. Eight studies were included (44 unique associations). Findings suggest that preterm-born children's language skills might be open to a wide range of qualitative and quantitative features of parental cognitive stimulation. Our findings suggest that parental cognitive stimulation matters for preterm-born children's neurocognitive performance. Future experiential models should examine the mechanistic roles of cognitive stimulation in relation to narrowed neurocognitive outcomes to better inform possible prevention and intervention efforts. IMPACT: This systematic review examines the literature on parental cognitive stimulation in relation to preterm-born children's neurocognitive outcomes. Our review demonstrates that preterm-born children's language skills might be open to a wide range of qualitative and quantitative features of parental cognitive stimulation. The emphasis on environmental factors might ultimately better inform possible prevention and intervention efforts for children at risk as they transition to formal schooling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige M Nelson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa city, IA, USA.
| | - Ö Ece Demir-Lira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa city, IA, USA
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Zettersten M, Yurovsky D, Xu TL, Uner S, Tsui ASM, Schneider RM, Saleh AN, Meylan SC, Marchman VA, Mankewitz J, MacDonald K, Long B, Lewis M, Kachergis G, Handa K, deMayo B, Carstensen A, Braginsky M, Boyce V, Bhatt NS, Bergey CA, Frank MC. Peekbank: An open, large-scale repository for developmental eye-tracking data of children's word recognition. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:2485-2500. [PMID: 36002623 PMCID: PMC9950292 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01906-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The ability to rapidly recognize words and link them to referents is central to children's early language development. This ability, often called word recognition in the developmental literature, is typically studied in the looking-while-listening paradigm, which measures infants' fixation on a target object (vs. a distractor) after hearing a target label. We present a large-scale, open database of infant and toddler eye-tracking data from looking-while-listening tasks. The goal of this effort is to address theoretical and methodological challenges in measuring vocabulary development. We first present how we created the database, its features and structure, and associated tools for processing and accessing infant eye-tracking datasets. Using these tools, we then work through two illustrative examples to show how researchers can use Peekbank to interrogate theoretical and methodological questions about children's developing word recognition ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Zettersten
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, 218 Peretsman Scully Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.
| | - Daniel Yurovsky
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tian Linger Xu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Sarp Uner
- Data Science Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Rose M Schneider
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Annissa N Saleh
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Stephan C Meylan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Bria Long
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Molly Lewis
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - George Kachergis
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Benjamin deMayo
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, 218 Peretsman Scully Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA
| | | | - Mika Braginsky
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Veronica Boyce
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Naiti S Bhatt
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Michael C Frank
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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8
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Marchman VA, Ashland MD, Loi EC, Munévar M, Shannon KA, Fernald A, Feldman HM. Associations between early efficiency in language processing and language and cognitive outcomes in children born full term and preterm: similarities and differences. Child Neuropsychol 2023; 29:886-905. [PMID: 36324057 PMCID: PMC10151433 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2022.2138304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Associations between children's early language processing efficiency and later verbal and non-verbal outcomes shed light on the extent to which early information processing skills support later learning across different domains of function. Examining whether the strengths of associations are similar in typically developing and at-risk populations provides an additional lens into the varying routes to learning that children may take across development. In this follow-up study, children born full-term (FT, n = 49) and preterm (PT, n = 45, ≤32 weeks gestational age, birth weight <1800 g) were assessed in the Looking While Listening (LWL) task at 18 months (corrected for degree of prematurity in PT group). This eye-tracking task assesses efficiency of real-time spoken language comprehension as accuracy and speed (RT) of processing. At 4 ½ years, children were assessed on standardized tests of receptive vocabulary, expressive language, and non-verbal IQ. Language processing efficiency was associated with both language outcomes (r2-change: 7.0-19.7%, p < 0.01), after covariates. Birth group did not moderate these effects, suggesting similar mechanisms of learning in these domains for PT and FT children. However, birth group moderated the association between speed and non-verbal IQ (r2-change: 4.5%, p < 0.05), such that an association was found in the PT but not the FT group. This finding suggests that information processing skills reflected in efficiency of real-time language processing may be recruited to support learning in a broader range of verbal and non-verbal domains in the PT compared to the FT group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia A. Marchman
- Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3145 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Melanie D. Ashland
- Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Elizabeth C. Loi
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3145 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Mónica Munévar
- Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Katherine A. Shannon
- Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Anne Fernald
- Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Heidi M. Feldman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3145 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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9
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Ståhlberg-Forsén E, Latva R, Aija A, Lehtonen L, Stolt S. Language environment and parent-infant close contact in neonatal care and emerging lexical abilities of very preterm children-a longitudinal study. Acta Paediatr 2023; 112:659-666. [PMID: 36567645 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
AIM This longitudinal study investigated associations between language environment and parent-infant close contact in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and preterm children's lexical abilities. METHODS NICU language environment of 43 very preterm infants (born<32 gestational weeks) was measured with the Language Environment Analysis System (LENA; variables: number of adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalisations). Parent-infant close contact (holding and skin-to-skin contact) in the NICU was reported using parental closeness diaries. At 15 and 18 months' corrected age, lexical development was measured with screening methods, and eye tracking-based lexical processing was assessed at 18 months. N varied between 29 and 38 in different outcome measures. RESULTS LENA measured conversational turns and child vocalisations, and parent-infant close contact associated positively with lexical development (r = 0.35-0.57). High numbers of NICU adult words associated negatively with lexical processing (r = -0.38- -0.40). In regression models, conversational turns and parent-infant close contact explained 34%-35% of receptive development. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that adult-infant turn taking and parent-infant close contact in the NICU are positively associated with lexical development. High numbers of overheard words in the NICU may not favour later lexical processing. Further research is warranted on the significance of NICU language environment on later lexical abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reija Latva
- Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.,Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anette Aija
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Tallinn Children's Hospital, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Liisa Lehtonen
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Suvi Stolt
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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10
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Borovsky A. Drivers of Lexical Processing and Implications for Early Learning. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 4:21-40. [PMID: 38846449 PMCID: PMC11156262 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-120920-042902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Understanding words in unfolding speech requires the coordination of many skills to support successful and rapid comprehension of word meanings. This multifaceted ability emerges before our first birthday, matures over a protracted period of development, varies widely between individuals, forecasts future learning outcomes, and is influenced by immediate context, prior knowledge, and lifetime experience. This article highlights drivers of early lexical processing abilities while exploring questions regarding how learners begin to acquire, represent, and activate meaning in language. The review additionally explores how lexical processing and representation are connected while reflecting on how network science approaches can support richly detailed insights into this connection in young learners. Future research avenues are considered that focus on addressing how language processing and other cognitive skills are connected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Borovsky
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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11
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Frost KM, Ingersoll B, Venker CE. Revisiting the simplification of adult language input in the context of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions: A commentary. Autism Res 2022; 15:1799-1809. [PMID: 35983824 PMCID: PMC9561015 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) are an evidence-based class of early interventions for improving language and social communication skills in autistic children. However, relatively little is known about how individual elements of NDBI support child development. This commentary focuses on one common element across NDBI models: the simplification of adult language input. Advances in developmental science focusing on the length and complexity of adult spoken utterances suggests that natural, grammatical utterances facilitate comprehension and expressive language development in autistic and nonautistic children. Yet, NDBI tend to recommend shorter and simpler adult utterances. We close by describing directions for future research which would inform recommendations around adult language input in NDBI to optimally support child language and communication development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle M. Frost
- Department of PsychologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Brooke Ingersoll
- Department of PsychologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Courtney E. Venker
- Department of Communicative Sciences and DisordersMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
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12
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Ståhlberg-Forsén E, Latva R, Leppänen J, Lehtonen L, Stolt S. Eye tracking based assessment of lexical processing and early lexical development in very preterm children. Early Hum Dev 2022; 170:105603. [PMID: 35724569 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Associations between lexical processing and lexical development during the second year of life have been little studied in preterm children. AIMS To evaluate associations between lexical processing at 18 months and lexical development between 12 and 18 months in very preterm children. STUDY DESIGN Correlational study. SUBJECTS 25 Finnish-speaking children born <32 gestational weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES Lexical processing (reaction time RT; correct looking time CLT) was measured with an eye tracking technology-based task at 18 months' corrected age. Lexical development was measured longitudinally at 12-, 15- and 18-months' corrected age using the following screening instruments: the short form version of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scale: Infant-Toddler Checklist. RESULTS The longer the RT of the child, the weaker expressive skills the child had at 12 and 15 months (correlations coefficient values -0.45 to -0.51). The more the child looked at the target image compared to the distractor (CLT), the stronger expressive skills the child had at 18 months (r = 0.45-0.52). A linear regression model with RT and gender as independent variables explained 33 % of the variance in lexical skills at 18 months. A model with CLT explained 40 % of expressive skills at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS Lexical processing at 18 months was associated with expressive lexical development in very preterm children. The results suggest eye tracking technology based methods may have utility in the assessment of early lexical growth in preterm children, although further research is needed to assess psychometric properties and predictive value of the method.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reija Latva
- Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland; Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
| | | | - Liisa Lehtonen
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
| | - Suvi Stolt
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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13
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Partanen E, Mårtensson G, Hugoson P, Huotilainen M, Fellman V, Ådén U. Auditory Processing of the Brain Is Enhanced by Parental Singing for Preterm Infants. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:772008. [PMID: 35444514 PMCID: PMC9014198 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.772008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the human auditory system is highly malleable in infancy, perinatal risk factors, such as preterm birth, may affect auditory development. In comparison to healthy full-term infants, preterm infants show abnormal auditory brain responses at term age, which may have long-term detrimental outcomes. To achieve an optimal neonatal care environment for preterm-born infants, many early interventions have been developed. Musical interventions developed for neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have shown beneficial effects on vital functions and weight gain of preterm infants and might also influence basic auditory processing and thereby enhance outcomes. In the present study, we tested the effect of parental singing during kangaroo care on auditory processing of standardized audio stimuli. Preterm infants (born between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation) were randomized to singing intervention (n = 13) or control (n = 8) groups. The auditory processing was tested using two audio paradigms assessed with magnetoencephalography (MEG) at term corresponding age. To verify that the paradigms elicit responses in MEG, we studied 12 healthy full-term infants. In the singing intervention group, parents were instructed by a music therapist twice a week for 4 weeks to sing or hum during kangaroo care in an infant-directed way. The control group received standard kangaroo care. The results show that the infants in the singing intervention group show larger neural responses than those in the control group when controlling for the total amount of singing during kangaroo care. Our findings suggest that incorporating singing into kangaroo care may be beneficial for preterm infants, but the effect may not be due to exposure to singing but instead positive parenting, improved parental self-esteem and improved caregiver sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eino Partanen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain (MMBB), Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- *Correspondence: Eino Partanen,
| | - Gustaf Mårtensson
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pernilla Hugoson
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Music, Art, and Culture Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Nursing Science, Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain (MMBB), Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- CICERO Learning Network, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vineta Fellman
- Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ulrika Ådén
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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14
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Sanchez-Alonso S, Aslin RN. Towards a model of language neurobiology in early development. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 224:105047. [PMID: 34894429 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding language neurobiology in early childhood is essential for characterizing the developmental structural and functional changes that lead to the mature adult language network. In the last two decades, the field of language neurodevelopment has received increasing attention, particularly given the rapid advances in the implementation of neuroimaging techniques and analytic approaches that allow detailed investigations into the developing brain across a variety of cognitive domains. These methodological and analytical advances hold the promise of developing early markers of language outcomes that allow diagnosis and clinical interventions at the earliest stages of development. Here, we argue that findings in language neurobiology need to be integrated within an approach that captures the dynamic nature and inherent variability that characterizes the developing brain and the interplay between behavior and (structural and functional) neural patterns. Accordingly, we describe a framework for understanding language neurobiology in early development, which minimally requires an explicit characterization of the following core domains: i) computations underlying language learning mechanisms, ii) developmental patterns of change across neural and behavioral measures, iii) environmental variables that reinforce language learning (e.g., the social context), and iv) brain maturational constraints for optimal neural plasticity, which determine the infant's sensitivity to learning from the environment. We discuss each of these domains in the context of recent behavioral and neuroimaging findings and consider the need for quantitatively modeling two main sources of variation: individual differences or trait-like patterns of variation and within-subject differences or state-like patterns of variation. The goal is to enable models that allow prediction of language outcomes from neural measures that take into account these two types of variation. Finally, we examine how future methodological approaches would benefit from the inclusion of more ecologically valid paradigms that complement and allow generalization of traditional controlled laboratory methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard N Aslin
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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15
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Brookman R, Kalashnikova M, Conti J, Xu Rattanasone N, Grant KA, Demuth K, Burnham D. Maternal Depression Affects Infants' Lexical Processing Abilities in the Second Year of Life. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E977. [PMID: 33322798 PMCID: PMC7763905 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal depression and anxiety have been proposed to increase the risk of adverse outcomes of language development in the early years of life. This study investigated the effects of maternal depression and anxiety on language development using two approaches: (i) a categorical approach that compared lexical abilities in two groups of children, a risk group (mothers with clinical-level symptomatology) and a control non-risk group, and (ii) a continuous approach that assessed the relation between individual mothers' clinical and subclinical symptomatology and their infants' lexical abilities. Infants' lexical abilities were assessed at 18 months of age using an objective lexical processing measure and a parental report of expressive vocabulary. Infants in the risk group exhibited lower lexical processing abilities compared to controls, and maternal depression scores were negatively correlated to infants' lexical processing and vocabulary measures. Furthermore, maternal depression (not anxiety) explained the variance in infants' individual lexical processing performance above the variance explained by their individual expressive vocabulary size. These results suggest that significant differences are emerging in 18-month-old infants' lexical processing abilities, and this appears to be related, in part, to their mothers' depression and anxiety symptomatology during the postnatal period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Brookman
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia; (M.K.); (D.B.)
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia;
| | - Marina Kalashnikova
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia; (M.K.); (D.B.)
- Basque Centre for Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 2º, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Janet Conti
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia;
| | - Nan Xu Rattanasone
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia; (N.X.R.); (K.D.)
| | - Kerry-Ann Grant
- Health Education and Training Institute, Locked Bag 7118, Parramatta Bc, NSW 2124, Australia;
| | - Katherine Demuth
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia; (N.X.R.); (K.D.)
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia; (M.K.); (D.B.)
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16
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Marchman VA, Bermúdez VN, Bang JY, Fernald A. Off to a good start: Early Spanish-language processing efficiency supports Spanish- and English-language outcomes at 4½ years in sequential bilinguals. Dev Sci 2020; 23:e12973. [PMID: 32320106 PMCID: PMC8131037 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many Latino children in the U.S. speak primarily Spanish at home with few opportunities for exposure to English before entering school. For monolingual children, the strongest early predictor of later school success is oral language skill developed before kindergarten. Less is known about how early oral language skills support later learning in sequential bilingual children. A question with wide-reaching significance is whether skill in a child's first language (L1) supports later learning in a second language (L2). In this longitudinal study of sequential Spanish-English bilinguals, we assessed oral language skills in Spanish at 2 years through parent reports of vocabulary size and children's real-time language processing efficiency (Accuracy, RT) in the 'looking-while-listening' (LWL) task. At 4½ years, we assessed language outcomes in both Spanish and English using standardized tests. Reported relative exposure to each language was significantly correlated with language outcomes in Spanish and English. Within-language relations were observed between Spanish vocabulary size and processing efficiency at 2 years and later Spanish-language outcomes. Critically, across-language relations were also observed: Children with stronger Spanish-language processing efficiency at 2 years had stronger English-language skills at 4½ years, controlling for socioeconomic status and exposure to English. Children's early language processing efficiency in Spanish is associated with stronger real-time information processing skills that support maintenance of Spanish and learning in English when these children enter school. These results support the recommendation that primarily Spanish-speaking families should engage in activities that promote children's Spanish-language skills while also seeking opportunities for children to be exposed to English.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Janet Y Bang
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Anne Fernald
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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17
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Bogičević L, Verhoeven M, van Baar AL. Toddler skills predict moderate-to-late preterm born children's cognition and behaviour at 6 years of age. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223690. [PMID: 31693682 PMCID: PMC6834277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare moderate-to-late preterm born (32-36 weeks' gestation) to full term born (≥37 weeks' gestation) children in cognitive and behavioural functioning at the age of 6 years and assess which toddler skills predict later cognitive and behavioural functioning. DESIGN A prospective longitudinal study with a cohort of 88 moderate-to-late preterm and 83 full term born Dutch children, followed from 18 months to 6 years of age. Orienting, alerting and executive attention skills were assessed at 18 months (corrected for prematurity), and cognitive, motor and language skills (Bayley-III-NL) at 24 months (corrected for prematurity). At 6 years (corrected for prematurity), cognitive (indices of IQ; WPPSI-III-NL) and behavioural functioning (CBCL/6-18) were assessed. Group differences and potential predictors were examined with MANCOVAs and hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS At 6 years, moderate-to-late preterm born children performed poorer than full term born children on cognitive processing speed, and they showed more behavioural attention problems. Attention problems at 6 years were predicted by poorer orienting attention skills at 18 months, while lower performance IQ was predicted by poorer alerting attention skills at 18 months. Full Scale IQ and Verbal IQ at 6 years were predicted by language skills at 24 months. Moderate-to-late preterm and full term born children showed some differing correlational patterns in the associations between early skills and later functioning, although in further analyses predictors appeared the same for both groups. CONCLUSIONS Moderate-to-late preterm born children show specific vulnerabilities at primary school-age, particularly in cognitive processing speed and behavioural attention problems. Cognitive and behavioural functioning at 6 years can be predicted by differentiated attention skills at 18 months and language skills at 24 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilly Bogičević
- Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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18
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Marchman VA, Ashland MD, Loi EC, Adams KA, Fernald A, Feldman HM. Predictors of early vocabulary growth in children born preterm and full term: A study of processing speed and medical complications. Child Neuropsychol 2019; 25:943-963. [PMID: 30714476 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2019.1569608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Delays in expressive vocabulary may be harbingers of long-term language difficulties. In toddlers born full term (FT), individual differences in language processing speed are associated with variation in expressive vocabulary growth. Children born preterm (PT) are at increased risk for persistent language deficits. Here, we evaluate predictors of early vocabulary growth in PT toddlers in relation to two sources of variability: language processing speed and medical complications of prematurity. Vocabulary growth from 16 to 30 months (adjusted for degree of prematurity) was modeled longitudinally using parent reports in English-speaking FT (n = 63; ≥37 weeks, ≥2495 g) and PT (n = 69; ≤32 weeks, <1800 g) children, matched on sex and socioeconomic status. Children were tested in the "looking-while-listening task" at 18 months to derive a measure of language processing speed. Each PT child was assessed for number of medical complications (13 maximum), based on medical chart reviews. PT and FT children displayed similar vocabulary trajectories; however, birth group disparities began to emerge by 30 months. PT children were slower in language processing speed than FT children. Critically, language processing speed predicted expressive vocabulary size at 30 months; interactions with birth group were not significant (all p > .20). In PT children, faster language processing speed predicted stronger outcomes regardless of number of medical complications; slower processing speed and more medical complications predicted poorer outcomes. Faster processing speed reflected favorable neuropsychological processes associated with faster expressive vocabulary growth that overrode the impact of medical complications on language outcomes in PT children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melanie D Ashland
- a Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.,b School of Medicine , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA
| | - Elizabeth C Loi
- b School of Medicine , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.,c University of Oregon , Eugene , OR , USA
| | - Katherine A Adams
- a Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.,d New York University , New York , NY , USA
| | | | - Heidi M Feldman
- b School of Medicine , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA
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19
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Brósch-Fohraheim N, Fuiko R, Marschik PB, Resch B. The influence of preterm birth on expressive vocabulary at the age of 36 to 41 months. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98:e14404. [PMID: 30732188 PMCID: PMC6380758 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000014404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Children born preterm (PT) have a higher risk of language delays than children born full-term (FT). Expressive vocabulary plays a central role in language development, as later grammar ability can be predicted from earlier vocabulary size.To determine the effects of preterm birth on expressive vocabulary at the age of 36 to 41 months.Cross-sectional study of 27 PT (children with a gestational age of ≤ 32 + 0 weeks and/or a birth weight ≤ 1500 g) and 26 FT children (from several kindergartens in Vienna, Austria). The groups were matched regarding age, sex, and monolingual Austrian German speech. They were all examined using the active vocabulary test (AWST-R) and the development test, Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III).The AWST-R revealed significantly lower scores (46% vs 52%, P = .027) for PT children. The Bayley-III revealed significantly lower scores in language development (mean 96.3 ± 11.81 vs 105.1 ± 6.24, P = .002) and the expressive communication subscale (8.78 ± 2.01 vs 10.69 ± 1.49, P < .001) for PT children, but no differences in cognitive development (98.5 ± 11.08 vs 100.8 ± 6.43, P = .369) or on the receptive communication subscale (10.15 ± 2.23 vs 11.08 ± 1.09, P = .060).Preterm children tested had less expressive vocabulary (AWST-R and Bayley-III) than those born full-term, while test results in their cognitive development and receptive communication (Bayley-III) did not differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Brósch-Fohraheim
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Wilhelminenspital Vienna
- Research Unit for Neonatal Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz
| | - Renate Fuiko
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna
| | - Peter B. Marschik
- iDN – interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, iDN – interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, University Medical Center of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bernhard Resch
- Research Unit for Neonatal Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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