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The emergence of grammar in very-low-birth-weight Finnish children at two years of age*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2012

SUVI STOLT ,
JAAKKO MATOMÄKI ,
LEENA HAATAJA ,
HELENA LAPINLEIMU ,
LIISA LEHTONEN  and
the PIPARI STUDY GROUP
SUVI STOLT*
Affiliation:
University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
JAAKKO MATOMÄKI
Affiliation:
Turku University Hospital
LEENA HAATAJA
Affiliation:
Turku University Hospital
HELENA LAPINLEIMU
Affiliation:
Turku University Hospital
LIISA LEHTONEN
Affiliation:
Turku University Hospital
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Suvi Stolt, University of Turku, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Philosophy, Assistentinkatu 7, Publicum, 20014 Turku, Finland. tel. +358-2-3338786; e-mail: suvi.stolt@utu.fi
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Abstract

It is not well understood how grammar emerges in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) children. The main aim of the present study was to gain information on the emergence of grammar in this group at 2 ; 0. The Finnish version of the Communicative Development Inventory was used to collect data from VLBW children (N = 156) and full-term controls (N = 146). At a group level, the grammatical skills of the VLBW children were significantly weaker than those of the controls. However, when the effect of lexicon size and premature birth on the emergence of grammar was analyzed in detail, few significant differences were found between the groups. The results suggest that even though grammar emerges more slowly for the VLBW children, it emerges in a manner comparable to that of the controls, when the effect of lexicon size is taken into consideration.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , March 2013 , pp. 336 - 357
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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Footnotes

[*]

This study is part of the PIPARI study. The members of the PIPARI study group include Mikael Ekblad, Satu Ekblad, Eeva Ekholm, Leena Haataja, Mira Huhtala, Pentti Kero, Jarkko Kirjavainen, Riikka Korja, Harry Kujari, Helena Lapinleimu, Liisa Lehtonen, Marika Leppänen, Hanna Manninen, Jaakko Matomäki, Jonna Maunu, Petriina Munck, Pekka Niemi, Pertti Palo, Riitta Parkkola, Jorma Piha, Annika Lind, Liisi Rautava, Päivi Rautava, Hellevi Rikalainen, Katriina Saarinen, Elina Savonlahti, Matti Sillanpää, Suvi Stolt, Anniina Väliaho, Päivi Tuomikoski-Koiranen, Milla Ylijoki and Tuula Äärimaa. The present study was supported by the Academy of Finland. We would like to thank pyschologists Riikka Korja, Petriina Munck, Annika Lind and Anu Uschakoff, for assessing the cognitive development of the children.

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