The Speech and Language Development of Low Birth Weight Infants

A group of 70 low birth weight infants and 49 matched controls were studied at 3;5 years of age for speech and language development and hearing acuity as part of an ongoing developmental study of low birth weight infants.Results showed that the low birth weight infants were found to be significantly delayed in language expression and comprehension when compared with their controls. There was not a significant difference between the two groups in speech articulation or hearing.Certain social and environmental factors were found to be strong predictors of speech and language development in both groups.