Early Vocal Contact and Preterm Infant Brain Development by Manuela Filippa Pierre Kuhn & Björn Westrup

Author:Manuela Filippa, Pierre Kuhn & Björn Westrup
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Hospitalization as a Cause of Distress and Speech Deprivation: Environmental Factors Leading to Language Delays

The environment of the NICU, which can include painful stimuli and high levels of light and noise, can cause distress in preterm infants. These factors may also adversely affect the development of a preterm infant via epigenetic mechanisms (see Montirosso & Provenzi, Chap. 16). Moreover, early experiences play a critical role in shaping the development of the brain and of behavior. There are several critical periods – windows of opportunity – during brain development in premature infants (Lagercrantz, 2016). During these periods, synaptogenesis alters neural connectivity patterns, according to an individual’s experiences and responses to the environment (Knudsen, 2004). The brain of a preterm infant does not develop as in the womb, and there are subtle differences in cerebral growth and development relative to a full-term infant (Ment, Hirtz, & Hüppi, 2009). This is due to prematurity itself and to exposure to a different environment (Perlman, 2001).

Among the many environmental factors that can influence language development in hospitalized preterm infants, we focus on two specific components: auditory dys-stimulation in the NICUs (amount, duration, and type) and early maternal/paternal separation.

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