Papers by Alessandra Sansavini
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
As indicated by the World Health Organization, preterm birth is a relevant public health issue, b... more As indicated by the World Health Organization, preterm birth is a relevant public health issue, being one of the leading causes of death in children under five years of age [...].
Early Development and Parenting, 1997
This paper approaches the problem of newborns' segmentation of speech into units, taking into acc... more This paper approaches the problem of newborns' segmentation of speech into units, taking into account the language-specificity of phonological units and prosodic elements. Current hypotheses are discussed and a rhythmical hypothesis is proposed according to which newborns have a predisposition to pay attention to the rhythm of speech. At the words' level, they would perceive the rhythm of words, as characterized by the binary and ternary alternations of stressed±unstressed syllables/vowels (stress patterns) and, in some languages, by the alternation of rising± falling pitches (pitch patterns). Empirical evidence in favour of this hypothesis is provided. The methodology used to study infants' speech perception is also considered. Furthermore, a discussion is opened about the processing of stress patterns and vowels in words and about the development in the use of the mother tongue's stress patterns for speech segmentation, phonetic discrimination and foreign language discrimination. '
Early Human Development, 2009
Background: Since preterm birth is associated with a constellation of pre-, peri-and post-natal r... more Background: Since preterm birth is associated with a constellation of pre-, peri-and post-natal risk factors, we hypothesised that prematurity may continue to impact the development of linguistic abilities even up to the end of the preschool years and beyond, giving rise to an atypical developmental trajectory. The study tested this hypothesis at six years of age, investigating whether language is affected by preterm birth and how different linguistic abilities are interrelated. Method: Seventy monolingual Italian preterms and 34 age-matched controls were recruited. Linguistic abilities (vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness) as well as general cognitive developmental levels were measured. Results: No general cognitive delay emerged, but less developed abilities in vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness were found in preterms compared to fullterms. Moreover, the relations among the different linguistic competences differed across groups. Conclusions: Our study shows that even without brain damage, preterm birth continues to affect linguistic development up to the end of the preschool years, and probably beyond, highlighting a continuity between pre-and peri-natal life and subsequent development, and pointing to an atypical developmental trajectory in this population compared to fullterms (different rates of development, different strategies employed, and differences in the relationships among linguistic abilities).
Neuropsychologia, 2011
The present study involved a systematic longitudinal analysis, with three points of assessment in... more The present study involved a systematic longitudinal analysis, with three points of assessment in the second year of life, of gestures/actions, word comprehension, and word production in a sample of very preterm infants compared to a sample of full-term infants. The relationships among these competencies as well as their predictive value on language development at 24 months and the contribution of biological, medical and social risk factors on language delay at 24 months were also analysed.
Neuroscience Letters, 2005
A possible relationship between preterm birth and circadian typology was investigated in two pilo... more A possible relationship between preterm birth and circadian typology was investigated in two pilot survey studies involving 13-year-old teen-agers. Two different questionnaires were used: the Junior Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) (administered to 55 preterm and 210 fullterm subjects) and the Junior Composite Scale (CS) (administered to 40 preterm and 318 fullterm subjects). In both surveys, preterm groups presented significantly higher total scores, indicating a higher propensity to morningness. Indeed in the preterm samples no evening types were found. The results are discussed in relation to recent models of circadian regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.
Journal of The Acoustical Society of America, 1997
Does the newborn's well-known sensitivity to human speech include awareness of the distinction be... more Does the newborn's well-known sensitivity to human speech include awareness of the distinction between strong and weak syllables, as has been shown for older infants and adults? The non-nutritive high-amplitude sucking paradigm was used to investigate whether weak syllables play a role in neonate perceptual representation. Two-day-old French infants were tested on their capacity to discriminate phonetically highly varied words containing syllables with various strong vowels versus the weak, reduced vowel schwa in natural, isolated English words. Twenty infants heard lists of weak-strong and lists of strong words ͑e.g., belief, control, etc. versus nose, dream, etc.͒ and 20 heard lists of weak-strong and strong-strong words ͑e.g., belief, control, etc. versus volume, rhubarb, etc.͒. The results show that weak-strong words were reliably distinguished from strong words, but not from strong-strong words. Taken together, the findings indicate that a weak, reduced vowel is equivalent to a strong, full vowel to the extent that both count as syllabic nuclei. Moreover, this global equivalence in terms of number of syllabic constituents apparently overrules the more local acoustic difference between strong and weak vowels. The role of syllabic/vocalic information in neonate representation is discussed.
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 1996
This study attempted to determine how cognitive, motor, linguistic, and social competencies of pr... more This study attempted to determine how cognitive, motor, linguistic, and social competencies of preterm children develop from birth to ve years in comparison with a group of fullterm children. The interaction between biological and social risks was considered in evaluating short-and long-term delays in development. The study was also designed to ascertain whether infant test scores of the rst two years are predictive of later IQ scores. A total of 195 healthy Italian preterms (birthweight < 2000 grams, without severe neonatal complications) were administered the Brunet-Lezine test at 6, 12, and 24 months (corrected age), and 149 of them the Stanford-Binet test at 3, 4, and 5 years (chronological age). The preterm group showed motor, cognitive, and social delays in the rst year, linguistic delays until 24 months, and general cognitive delays until 5 years in comparison with the fullterm group. However, preterms' mean infant test scores and IQ scores fell within the normal range. The probability of delays in development was increased by the conditions of intra-uterine growth retardation and very-low-birthweight, and, after the rst year of life, by a low level of paternal education. Brunet-Lezine test scores were predictive of later IQ scores, as were sex and parental education. In conclusion, preterm birth is correlated with delays in development, especially when it is associated with other biological and/or social risk factors.
Child Care Health and Development, 2010
Background Extremely low and very low gestational age (ELGA and VLGA) constitutes a risk factor ... more Background Extremely low and very low gestational age (ELGA and VLGA) constitutes a risk factor for development even in absence of cerebral damage, as an immature central nervous system is exposed to invasive and inadequate stimulation. We tested the hypothesis that GA impacts developmental outcomes and trajectories of preterms without major cerebral damage in the first 2 years of life, expecting poorer developmental outcomes and higher rate of impairment with the decreasing of GA. We also evaluated whether GA, together with developmental outcomes in the first year of life, was related to developmental outcomes at 24 months.Methods Eighty-eight infants, divided into three GA groups (ELGA: ≤28 weeks; VLGA: 29–32 weeks; full term: >37 weeks) were assessed longitudinally at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales.Results Use of a repeated measure multivariate analysis of variance resulted in several significant findings. GA was associated with the developmental quotient (DQ) scores (P= 0.006); and locomotor (P < 0.001), eye and hand co-ordination (P= 0.016) and performance (P= 0.040) sub-scale quotient (SQ) scores; age of evaluation was also associated with DQ scores (P= 0.002), and locomotor (P < 0.001) and performance (P < 0.001) SQ scores. In particular, ELGAs exhibited lower DQ and SQ scores compared with the VLGA and full-term groups; some ELGAs showed mild, moderate or severe cognitive impairments, while few VLGAs mild impairments. Linear regression analysis showed that GA (P= 0.034) and 12-month developmental outcome (P < 0.001) were related to 24-month developmental outcome.Conclusions Different developmental trajectories emerged in relation to GA, with poorer developmental outcomes and higher rates of impairment in ELGAs and few mild impairments in VLGAs. The relevance of taking into account both GA and repeated assessments in the first 2 years of life was shown.
Infant and Child Development, 2006
In three European regions (The Netherlands, Northern Italy and Southern Italy) we investigated wh... more In three European regions (The Netherlands, Northern Italy and Southern Italy) we investigated whether mothers of healthy pre-term infants (n=92) adjust their expectations for the timing of developmental milestones in the first years of life as compared to mothers of full-term infants (n=140). We examined whether these adjustments could be seen as reflecting a pessimistic view, as would be predicted from the ‘prematurity stereotype’ perspective. Partial corrections for prematurity were regularly made, but no indications were found for an overly pessimistic view. Moreover, the differences between the regions in the anticipated timing of mastery of milestones were larger than the effects of prematurity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fuel and Energy Abstracts, 2010
Background: Although premature birth is associated with lags in language acquisition, it is uncle... more Background: Although premature birth is associated with lags in language acquisition, it is unclear whether preterms exhibit an elevated risk for language impairment (LI). This study determined whether preterms, without frank cerebral damage, at 2;6 and 3;6 exhibited a higher rate of risk for LI as compared to full-terms, and also sought to identify predictors of risk. Method: Sixty-four Italian very immature preterms were assessed longitudinally at 2;6 and 3;6; age-matched full-terms served as controls at 2;6 (n = 22) and 3;6 (n = 40). Each completed individualized assessments of cognition and language ability. At each time point, using cut-offs specific to each of the language measures, children were differentiated into two groups (at risk for LI, not at risk). Results: The percentage of full-terms at risk for LI at 2;6 (9.1% to 13.6%) and 3;6 (7.5%) was consistent with prior estimates of LI at these ages. The percentage of preterms at risk for LI at 2;6 (16.1% to 24.1%) and 3;6 (34.4%) was higher at both ages and statistically significant at 3;6 (difference = 26.8%, 95% CI = 12.3% to 41.4%). The best model predicting risk status at 3;6 was preterms' mean length of utterance (MLU) at 2;6, (sensitivity 72.73%, specificity 85%) when adjusting for maternal education. Conclusion: Preterms exhibit a heightened risk for LI in the preschool years, since about one in four preterms at 2;6 and one in three preterms at 3;6 experiences significant lags in language acquisition. Findings argue the importance of early identification of language difficulties among preterms coupled with implementation of systematic language-focused interventions for these youngsters.
Developmental Psychology, 1997
Three experiments were run to test whether newborns were able to discriminate different stress pa... more Three experiments were run to test whether newborns were able to discriminate different stress patterns in multisyllabic stressed Italian words that varied both in consonants and in number of syllables. A high-amplitude sucking procedure was adopted in which the experimental group heard 2 sets of stimuli alternating minute by minute, whereas the control group heard only a single set of stimuli. The results showed that stress patterns were discriminated in 2 disyllabic phonetically unvaried words (Experiment 1), in 2 trisyllabic consonant-varied words (Experiment 2), and in 2 sets of disyllabic words varied in consonants within and between words (Experiment 3). The alternation procedure proved to be suitable for examining newboms' abilities of discrimination and categorization. It also lowered the participants* rejection rate compared with the classic habituation procedure. The present results suggest that newborns are sensitive to words' rhythm, as carried by stress patterns, and that this prosodic information is salient even in the presence of substantial consonant variation.
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 2007
This study sought to identify and compare the characteristics of the social pedagogic context of ... more This study sought to identify and compare the characteristics of the social pedagogic context of cognitive activities in a sample of early education settings in six European countries (England, Finland, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden). Previous research concerning the ...
Developmental Psychology, 1997
Three experiments were run to test whether newborns were able to discriminate different stress pa... more Three experiments were run to test whether newborns were able to discriminate different stress patterns in multisyllabic stressed Italian words that varied both in consonants and in number of syllables. A high-amplitude sucking procedure was adopted in which the experimental group heard 2 sets of stimuli alternating minute by minute, whereas the control group heard only a single set of stimuli. The results showed that stress patterns were discriminated in 2 disyllabic phonetically unvaried words (Experiment 1), in 2 trisyllabic consonant-varied words (Experiment 2), and in 2 sets of disyllabic words varied in consonants within and between words (Experiment 3). The alternation procedure proved to be suitable for examining newboms' abilities of discrimination and categorization. It also lowered the participants* rejection rate compared with the classic habituation procedure. The present results suggest that newborns are sensitive to words' rhythm, as carried by stress patterns, and that this prosodic information is salient even in the presence of substantial consonant variation.
Journal of Child Language, 2010
The aims of this study were to investigate whether specific linguistic difficulties in preterm ch... more The aims of this study were to investigate whether specific linguistic difficulties in preterm children persist at eight years and to examine the interrelationships between language and literacy in this population, compared with a control group of full-term children. Sixty-eight monolingual Italian preterms and 26 chronologically matched controls were recruited. Language (grammar comprehension, lexical production and phonological awareness), literacy (reading comprehension, reading and writing) and general cognitive development were investigated. Results showed no general delay in preterms, but slight difficulties in specific linguistic abilities (grammar, lexicon, phoneme synthesis and [*]
Journal of Child Language, 2006
This study aimed to investigate early lexical and grammatical development and their relations in ... more This study aimed to investigate early lexical and grammatical development and their relations in a sample of very immature healthy preterms, in order to assess whether their linguistic development [*] Perrone for their help with the medical examination; the children and parents for their participation in the research. We would also like to thank Maria Cristina Caselli and Antonella Devescovi for their precious suggestions concerning the questionnaire and the test used in the research and Roberto Bolzani for statistical advice. Thanks also to the reviewers for their perceptive comments. Finally, we are grateful to Annette Karmiloff-Smith for her careful comments and helpful suggestions.
Journal of Communication Disorders, 2007
There have been few investigations of the effects of very immature preterm birth on specific ling... more There have been few investigations of the effects of very immature preterm birth on specific linguistic competencies and phonological working memory at preschool age. Study 1 aimed to investigate early grammatical abilities in very immature healthy preterms, taking into account their cognitive development and biological and social factors. The linguistic and cognitive differences found between preterms and fullterms led to investigate in Study 2 the role of phonological working memory on preterms' grammatical development. Very immature preterm birth resulted to affect grammatical, cognitive and phonological working memory abilities until 3.5 years leading to persisting difficulties in comparison with fullterms, albeit not severe deficits. Tight relations between phonological working memory and grammar were found both in preterms and fullterms, that highlights the reciprocal support of these abilities in development. A partial compensatory effect by the maternal level of education on preterms' grammatical and cognitive abilities was also found. Learning outcomes: The reader will become familiar with the relations between grammatical and phonological working memory abilities in typical and preterm 3.5-year-old children. #
Infant Behavior & Development, 1996
Preterm birth is characterized by multiple interacting atypical constraints affecting different a... more Preterm birth is characterized by multiple interacting atypical constraints affecting different aspects of neuropsychological development. In the first years of life, perceptual, motor, and communicative-linguistic abilities, as well as attention, processing speed, and memory are affected by preterm birth resulting in cascading effects on later development. From school age to adolescence, a catch-up of simpler competencies (i.e., receptive lexicon) along with a more selective effect on more complex competencies (i.e., complex linguistic functions, math, motor, and executive functions) are observed, as well as a relevant incidence of behavioral outcomes. A wide heterogeneity in preterm children's neuropsychological profiles is described depending on the interaction among the degree of neonatal immaturity, medical complications, neurological damages/alterations, environmental and social factors. Severe neuromotor and sensory damages are not frequent, while low severity impairments are common among preterm children. It is argued that developmental pathways of preterm children are atypical, and not merely delayed, and are characterized by different developmental patterns and relationships among competencies. V C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2011;17:102-113.
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Papers by Alessandra Sansavini