Gestational age and birth weight variations in young children with language impairment at an early communication intervention clinic.

The study was done at one university-based early communication clinic, and the sample was mostly urban, white, Afrikaans speaking, private healthcare, and middle-income, so the results may not represent children with language impairment across South Africa. Data were collected retrospectively from clinical files, and not every variable was complete for every child, so some analyses were based on fewer than 530 children. The preterm or low birth weight group was compared only with full-term children who also had language concerns, not with typically developing children, so the study cannot show whether birth history increases the risk of language impairment in the general population. Children were selected because families sought help for communication concerns, so the high proportion with language impairment reflects a clinic population, not the wider community. The sample had many more boys than girls, which may affect generalisation because male sex is a known risk factor in children with language impairment.

Do not conclude that preterm birth or low birth weight causes more severe language impairment. The children in this study were already referred for communication concerns, and the language delay levels were similar between the preterm or low birth weight group and the full-term or normal birth weight group.