Roughly one in ten babies worldwide is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy – a birth considered preterm. These infants are biologically less mature at birth and face a higher risk of developmental delays in various domains. Previous studies have shown that preterm children tend to score lower on language assessments during kindergarten and school age. But do these differences already emerge during infancy?

Differences in Language Comprehension and Expression

Researchers at the University of Zurich set out to answer this question by examining whether language differences can be detected within the first 18 months of life. For their meta-analysis, they reviewed 21 studies from nine countries, covering more than 1,800 children. The findings revealed that preterm infants between the ages of

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