The more premature infants are spoken to by their parents while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the more they will begin to vocalize, making their first attempts at speech, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers at the Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island looked at 36 preterm infants who were born weighing 1,250 grams or less. Using recording devices, they monitored how often these children were exposed to adult language over a 16-hour period at both 32 and 36 weeks of age.
They found that as early as 32 weeks, the infants had started to vocalize, with a substantial increase in vocalization between 32 and 36 weeks. In the same window, the amount of adult language heard by the infants also increased.
The amount of conversation – vocalizations from the infant and responses from an adult – was much higher when a parent was present, whether the child was 32 or 36 weeks old.
"These findings highlight the powerful impact that parent talk has on the appearance and increment of vocalizations in preterm infants in the NICU," conclude the study authors.
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