[Evaluation of language at 6 years in children born prematurely without cerebral palsy: prospective study of 55 children].
OBJECTIVE
Very premature birth carries a high risk of neurocognitive disabilities and learning disorders. Acquiring sufficient speech skills is crucial to good school performance.


METHODS
A prospective study was conducted in 2006 to evaluate speech development in 55 children born very prematurely in 2000 at the Rouen Teaching Hospital (Rouen, France), free of cerebral palsy, compared to 6-year-old born at full term. A computerized speech assessment tool was used (Bilan Informatisé du Langage Oral, BILO II).


RESULTS
In the premature-birth group, 49 % of 6-year-old had at least 1 score below the 25th percentile on 1 of the 8 BILO II tests. Significant speech impairments were noted for 2 components of speech, namely, comprehension and phonology. Oral comprehension scores no higher than the 10th percentile were obtained by 23 % of prematurely born children (P<0.02 vs controls). On word repetition tasks used to test phonology, 21 % of prematurely born children obtained scores no higher than the 10th percentile (P<0.01 vs controls). An evaluation of sensorimotor language prerequisites (constraints) in 30 of the 55 prematurely born children showed significant differences with the controls for word memory, visual attention, and buccofacial praxis.


CONCLUSIONS
The speech development impairments found in 6-year-old born very prematurely suggest a distinctive pattern of neurodevelopmental dysfunction that is consistent with the motor theory of speech perception.
Charollais
A
A
Service de pédiatrie néonatale et réanimation, centre d'éducation fonctionnelle de l'enfant, centre de référence pour troubles des apprentissages, hôpital universitaire de Rouen, 1, rue de Germont, 76000 Rouen, France. aude.charollais@chu-rouen.fr
Stumpf
M-H
MH
Beaugrand
D
D
Lemarchand
M
M
Radi
S
S
Pasquet
F
F
Khomsi
A
A
Marret
S
S
D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D032882:Comprehension; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception