What is the Level of Knowledge and Awareness Among Healthcare Providers in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) Regarding Prelinguistic and Linguistic Development in Premature and Newborn Infants?
Abstract
Healthcare professionals in the Neonatal/Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are charged with education and competencies to maximize life support and viability in premature infants and medically fragile term infants. Often, the neonate’s first experiences with communication occur while in the hospital environment. It is well established that neonates and infants who spend more than five days in the NICU are at an increased risk for developmental delays, including language delays, speech sound disorders, motor speech disorders, and/or cognitive delays. Research indicates that 'Up to 50% of infants born less than 32 weeks of gestation develop disadvantaged outcomes, including language and related learning difficulties' (Brignoni-Pérez et al., 2021). This scoping review of the literature will identify healthcare professionals’ knowledge and competencies of prelinguistic, linguistic, and communication milestones for the first year of life. By capturing this data, the hope is to identify common gaps in knowledge to support healthcare professionals in the identification of prelinguistic and linguistic developmental milestones and communication opportunities. The ultimate goal is to support healthcare professionals, from any training/education level, to support the development of prelinguistic and linguistics as well as support responsive communication in the developing infant. As such, this scoping review could support future research projects on the role of early intervention for speech therapy and/or ongoing training and competency programs for medical professionals in the NICU.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Raquel Garcia
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-3-2024 12:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2024 1:30 PM
What is the Level of Knowledge and Awareness Among Healthcare Providers in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) Regarding Prelinguistic and Linguistic Development in Premature and Newborn Infants?
Alvin Sherman Library
Healthcare professionals in the Neonatal/Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are charged with education and competencies to maximize life support and viability in premature infants and medically fragile term infants. Often, the neonate’s first experiences with communication occur while in the hospital environment. It is well established that neonates and infants who spend more than five days in the NICU are at an increased risk for developmental delays, including language delays, speech sound disorders, motor speech disorders, and/or cognitive delays. Research indicates that 'Up to 50% of infants born less than 32 weeks of gestation develop disadvantaged outcomes, including language and related learning difficulties' (Brignoni-Pérez et al., 2021). This scoping review of the literature will identify healthcare professionals’ knowledge and competencies of prelinguistic, linguistic, and communication milestones for the first year of life. By capturing this data, the hope is to identify common gaps in knowledge to support healthcare professionals in the identification of prelinguistic and linguistic developmental milestones and communication opportunities. The ultimate goal is to support healthcare professionals, from any training/education level, to support the development of prelinguistic and linguistics as well as support responsive communication in the developing infant. As such, this scoping review could support future research projects on the role of early intervention for speech therapy and/or ongoing training and competency programs for medical professionals in the NICU.
