Preterm delivery and risk for early language delays: a sibling-control cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies suggest that preterm delivery is a risk factor for early language delays, but knowledge is scarce about the persistence of the delays and whether the association is of a linear kind. To resolve this, effects of confounding risk factors that are both shared within a family and pregnancy specific need to be distinguished from effects of preterm delivery. Our study examines the association between early gestational age and language outcomes, using a sibling-control design.

Methods

The sample comprises 22,499 siblings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Birth Cohort Study, recruited between 1999 and 2008. Mothers rated child language comprehension and production at 18 and 36 months. Analyses compared siblings discordant on gestational age group (early preterm,

SUBMITTER: Zambrana IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5013888 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature