title: Using the clinical linguistic and auditory milestone scale for developmental screening in high-risk preterm infants.
abstract: Eighty-one preterm infants (mean gestational age 29 weeks, range 24-36 weeks) discharged from The Johns Hopkins Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were followed up sequentially from birth to 2 years of age by use of the Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CLAMS) to evaluate language development. Children were studied during three time intervals: Interval 1: 3-5 months chronologic age (CA); Interval 2: 9-14 months (CA); and Interval 3: 18-24 months (CA). Psychometric test scores were compared with CLAMS Language Quotients (LQ) by use of full, partial (75%, 50%, 25%), and no "correction" for weeks of prematurity to determine whether "correcting" for prematurity would yield a more accurate estimate of eventual cognitive outcome. CLAMS LQ at Interval 1 was highly correlated with CLAMS LQ at Interval 2 and CLAMS LQ at Interval 2 correlated well with CLAMS LQ at Interval 3 (r = 0.57 and 0.64, respectively, P = 0.0001). Correlations indicated that there was an orderly, sequential development of language in the preterm infant. CLAMS evaluations correlated significantly with psychometric test results during Interval 2 and Interval 3 (r = 0.34, P < 0.02 and r = 0.75, P = 0.0001, respectively). The CLAMS proved to be a useful instrument for monitoring preterm language development in the primary pediatric care setting.
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Belcher
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gittlesohn
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Capute
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001724:Birth Weight; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors