What to do about poor language skills in premature infants

Generally, the main methods for improving poor language ability in preterm infants include language therapy, environmental stimulation, nutritional support, medication, and rehabilitation assessment. A detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Language Therapy

For preterm infants with delayed language development, targeted training is necessary to stimulate language abilities. Engage in frequent verbal interaction with the infant in daily life, such as talking, singing, and storytelling. Use simple and easy-to-understand vocabulary and exaggerated tones to capture their attention, thereby enhancing their language expression and comprehension abilities.

2. Environmental Stimulation

Create a rich linguistic environment to promote language perception and learning in preterm infants. Play children's stories and nursery rhymes at home frequently, allowing the infant to be exposed to various language sounds. Encourage family members to talk with the infant more often and avoid leaving the infant alone in a quiet environment for extended periods.

3. Nutritional Support

Ensure adequate and balanced nutrition for preterm infants to provide a foundation for language development. Breast milk, formula milk, egg yolks, fish meat, and similar foods can promote the development of brain nerve cells, assisting in the improvement of language function. If there is poor nutrient absorption, nutritional supplements such as multivitamin B tablets, zinc gluconate oral solution, and DHA drops may be taken under a doctor's guidance to improve bodily functions.

4. Medication

If the infant's poor language ability is caused by a specific disease, medication should target the underlying cause. For example, if developmental delay is due to hypothyroidism, levothyroxine sodium tablets or thyroid extract tablets may be taken as directed by a physician to regulate hormone levels, restore normal metabolism, and create favorable conditions for language development. If there are brain-related issues, medications such as sodium citicoline capsules and mecobalamin tablets may be used to nourish nerves and promote brain function recovery, thereby indirectly improving language abilities.

5. Rehabilitation Assessment

Regularly take the preterm infant for professional rehabilitation assessments to determine the level of language development and identify existing problems. A pediatric rehabilitation physician or speech therapist should develop an individualized rehabilitation plan, adjusting training content and intensity based on assessment results. At the same time, monitor the infant's overall development to detect other potential factors affecting language development, such as hearing impairments or intellectual disabilities, and intervene promptly to avoid missing the critical language development period.

In addition, parents should remain patient, avoid excessive anxiety, and provide sufficient encouragement and companionship for the preterm infant. If there is no significant improvement in language ability after a period of intervention, seek medical attention promptly for further evaluation and adjustment of the treatment plan, to help gradually enhance the infant's language abilities.