Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

Background: After preterm birth, infants are at high risk for delays in language development. A promising intervention to reduce this risk is represented by the exposure to parental voices through book-reading in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study investigated the possible advantages o...

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Main Authors:	Erica Neri, Leonardo De Pascalis, Francesca Agostini, Federica Genova, Augusto Biasini, Marcello Stella, Elena Trombini
Format:	article
Language:	EN
Published:	MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:	book reading intervention language development preterm infants VLBW longitudinal study NICU Medicine R
Online Access:	https://doaj.org/article/331cd43a6ec842dbaeadf0c2f74eab42
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:331cd43a6ec842dbaeadf0c2f74eab422021-11-11T16:29:29ZParental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years10.3390/ijerph1821113611660-46011661-7827https://doaj.org/article/331cd43a6ec842dbaeadf0c2f74eab422021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11361https://doaj.org/toc/1661-7827https://doaj.org/toc/1660-4601Background: After preterm birth, infants are at high risk for delays in language development. A promising intervention to reduce this risk is represented by the exposure to parental voices through book-reading in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study investigated the possible advantages of book-reading to preterm neonates during their NICU stay on their subsequent language development. Methods: 100 families of preterm infants were recruited. The parents of 55 preterm infants (Reading Group) received a colored picture-book on NICU admission and were supported to read to their neonate as often as possible and to continue after hospital discharge. Forty-five infants (Control Group) were recruited before the beginning of the intervention. Infant language development was assessed with the Hearing and Language quotients of the Griffith Mental Development Scale at the corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Results: Regardless of group membership, Hearing and Language mean quotients decreased between 9 and 18 months; nevertheless, this decrease was considerably reduced in the Reading group, compared to the Control Group. Conclusions: Reading in NICUs represents a suitable intervention that could positively influence language development and parent-infant relationships in preterm children. The study findings support its implementation as a preventive measure.Erica NeriLeonardo De PascalisFrancesca AgostiniFederica GenovaAugusto BiasiniMarcello StellaElena TrombiniMDPI AGarticlebook reading interventionlanguage developmentpreterm infantsVLBWlongitudinal studyNICUMedicineRENInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 11361, p 11361 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	book reading intervention language development preterm infants VLBW longitudinal study NICU Medicine R
spellingShingle	book reading intervention language development preterm infants VLBW longitudinal study NICU Medicine R Erica Neri Leonardo De Pascalis Francesca Agostini Federica Genova Augusto Biasini Marcello Stella Elena Trombini Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
description	Background: After preterm birth, infants are at high risk for delays in language development. A promising intervention to reduce this risk is represented by the exposure to parental voices through book-reading in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study investigated the possible advantages of book-reading to preterm neonates during their NICU stay on their subsequent language development. Methods: 100 families of preterm infants were recruited. The parents of 55 preterm infants (Reading Group) received a colored picture-book on NICU admission and were supported to read to their neonate as often as possible and to continue after hospital discharge. Forty-five infants (Control Group) were recruited before the beginning of the intervention. Infant language development was assessed with the Hearing and Language quotients of the Griffith Mental Development Scale at the corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Results: Regardless of group membership, Hearing and Language mean quotients decreased between 9 and 18 months; nevertheless, this decrease was considerably reduced in the Reading group, compared to the Control Group. Conclusions: Reading in NICUs represents a suitable intervention that could positively influence language development and parent-infant relationships in preterm children. The study findings support its implementation as a preventive measure.
format	article
author	Erica Neri Leonardo De Pascalis Francesca Agostini Federica Genova Augusto Biasini Marcello Stella Elena Trombini
author_facet	Erica Neri Leonardo De Pascalis Francesca Agostini Federica Genova Augusto Biasini Marcello Stella Elena Trombini
author_sort	Erica Neri
title	Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
title_short	Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
title_full	Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
title_fullStr	Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
title_full_unstemmed	Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years
title_sort	parental book-reading to preterm born infants in nicu: the effects on language development in the first two years
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/331cd43a6ec842dbaeadf0c2f74eab42
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Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

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