Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Ursula Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, MD, MSc, Innsbruck Medical University, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Tel.: 0043 512 504 27307; Fax: 0043 512 27308; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Preterm-born children are at higher risk for impaired linguistic abilities than are their term-born peers. The aim of the current study was to determine early predictors for delayed linguistic skills in very preterm-born preschool children. METHODS:Between January 2005 and November 2010 all very preterm infants born at < 32 weeks gestation in Tyrol were prospectively enrolled (n = 421); 248 of them had a detailed examination at the age of five years including cognitive assessment (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III) or Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Tests (SON-R)) as well as a screening test for language skills (Bielefelder screening for early diagnosis of reading problems and weak spelling (BISC)). The association between pre-and postnatal factors and poor performance on the BISC assessment was analyzed by means of logistic regression analysis. RESULTS:Of the 248 children 79 (31.8%) showed delayed literacy precursor skills. Male sex, gestational age, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) grades 3–4 and low maternal education were predictive for delayed linguistic skills at 5 years of age in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION:This study identified predictors for delayed literacy precursor skills. These data support the finding that in very preterm infants pre-and perinatal as well as sociodemographic factors account for linguistic skills in the preschool period.
Keywords: Linguistic skills, preterm infants, predictors
