Overview

• University of Zurich researchers reviewed 21 international studies of more than 1,800 infants born on average at 30 weeks’ gestation and found that babies born early scored lower in both language comprehension and expression between 3 and 18 months.
• The analysis showed that the earlier the birth and the lower the birth weight, the more pronounced the delays in language comprehension.
• Lead author Miriam Löffler cautioned that including infants born between 34 and 37 weeks in future research may reveal milder language deficits than those observed in the current sample.
• The study calls for systematic language assessments during routine pediatric checkups to identify delays early and enable targeted interventions where needed.
• Parents are encouraged to foster language development by talking frequently with their babies, responding to their sounds, and reading together from the earliest months.