title: Long-Term Stability of Language Performance in Very Preterm, Moderate-Late Preterm, and Term Children.
abstract: To investigate whether children born very preterm, moderate-late preterm, and term differ in their average level and individual-difference stability in language performance over time.
  
  
  
  Language was assessed at 5 and 20 months and 4, 6, and 8 years of age in 204 very preterm (<32 weeks' gestation), 276 moderate-late preterm (32-36 weeks' gestation), and 268 term (37-41 weeks' gestation) children from the Bavarian Longitudinal Study.
  
  
  
  Very preterm children consistently performed worse than term-born children, and moderate-late preterm children scored in between. Language performance was stable from 5 months through 8 years in all gestation groups combined, and stability increased between each succeeding wave. Stability was stronger between 5 months and 4 years in very preterm than moderate-late preterm and term groups, but this differential stability attenuated when covariates (child nonverbal intelligence and family socioeconomic status) were controlled.
  
  
  
  Preterm children, even moderate-late preterm, are at risk for poorer language performance than term-born children. Because individual differences in language performance are increasingly stable from 20 months to 8 years in all gestation groups, pediatricians who attend to preterm children and observe language delays should refer them to language intervention at the earliest age seen.
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD. Electronic address: putnickd@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Diane L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Putnick
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Marc H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Research, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Suna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eryigit-Madzwamuse
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, and Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D047928:Premature Birth; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D047929:Term Birth; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: gestation; language development; preterm; term