Prevalence of developmental language delay among toddlers born as preterm

Abstract

Objectives: Being born preterm is one of the factors which affects language development of toddlers. The purpose of this study was to examine language performance and the prevalence of developmental language delay (DLD) among toddlers who were born in preterm condition compared to full-term toddlers. Methods: A total of 165 toddlers, 86 preterm and 79 full-term, participated in this study. The two groups of toddlers were classified into three age groups: 12-18 months, 19-24 months, and 25-30 months. Language abilities were measured using Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI) and Korean MacArthur-Bates Communication Development Inventory (K M-B CDI). The results of two toddler groups on language tests were analyzed statistically through two independent t-test, 2-way ANOVA, and χ2 test. Results: The premature group showed significantly lower receptive language age, expressive language age, and combined language age measured by SELSI and significantly lower frequency of expressive vocabulary measured by K M-B CDI than the chronological age-matched full-term toddler group. The prevalence of DLD and at risk DLD was significantly higher in the preterm than the full-term group. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study we discuss the importance of early language intervention in preterm toddlers for preventing language delay.