Determinants of preterm infants' language environment in the neonatal intensive care unit

Purpose: Preterm birth affects a substantial proportion of our nation’s children and increases their risk for language delays and poor educational achievement. Research demonstrates that language exposure is essential for the maturation of brain regions responsible for language learning and strongly influences a child’s future literacy skills and academic trajectory. However, preterm infants often spend the first months of their life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where language exposure and parent-child interactions may be limited. As a result, preterm infants may experience language deprivation during a critical period …