While the linguistic benefits of talking to babies has been well documented, researchers have now studied the effects of adult speech on preterm infants.
The study, published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has found that increased adult speech during the early weeks of life is associated with better cognitive scores later.
Preterm infants who were exposed to more adult speech in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) scored higher in language and communication scores at 7 and 18 months of age.
When the babies were 18 months old, the researchers observed that for every increase of 100 adult words spoken per hour at 32 weeks, the infants displayed a 2-point increase in language composite scores and a 0.5-point increase in expressive communication scores.
The study authors say their results show that preterm infants in the NICU benefit from exposure to adult speech.
"Parents have the power to make a difference in their child's development,” said the study's senior author, Dr. Betty Vohr, a professor of pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
That type of quality time should be a part of a baby's time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), according to Vohr.
"The brain is a marvelous computer. It's enhanced the more it's stimulated," she explained.
"We need to provide more information to families about the importance of talking to babies," said Vohr.
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