What is it about?
Children born preterm are at increased risk for speech sound difficulties, but their developmental paths can vary. This study followed 80 children born preterm from ages 3 to 4 years to examine how speech sound development changed over time. Four developmental patterns were identified: consistently typical development, persistent speech sound difficulties, improvement over time, and emerging difficulties after initially typical development. Speech sound abilities were closely related to receptive and expressive language skills. These findings highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and comprehensive speech language support for children born preterm during the preschool years.
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Why is it important?
Speech sound development in children born preterm has been relatively understudied, particularly from a longitudinal perspective. By identifying four distinct developmental patterns between ages 3 and 4 years, this study highlights the variability and non linear nature of speech sound development in this population. The findings show that early speech sound difficulties may persist or emerge later, and that early clinical characteristics alone are not sufficient to guide follow up decisions. This work provides clinically relevant evidence to support ongoing monitoring and comprehensive speech language support for children born preterm during the preschool years.
Perspectives
As a speech language pathologist working with children born preterm, I have often observed that many children experience speech sound difficulties during early childhood, with developmental outcomes that vary widely. This study was motivated by the need to better understand how these developmental differences change over time and to support more appropriate follow up and intervention decisions in clinical practice. I hope these findings will help clinicians recognize the importance of longitudinal monitoring, rather than relying on a single assessment, when supporting children born preterm.
Sae Mi Hong
Asan Medical Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Speech Sound Development in Preterm Children Aged 3–4 Years: A Retrospective Observational Study, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, February 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2025_jslhr-25-00166.
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