Hearing, speech, and language outcome in infants with extreme immaturity.

There appears to be an increase in the number of premature infants who survive treatment in neonatal intensive care units. Such an increase is expected to result in a greater number of children with developmental delays in a variety of dimensions, including auditory and psycholinguistic abilities. This report presents hearing and speech/language data on a sample of 266 high-risk infants. The data revealed that approximately one-third of the population exhibited hearing impairment and/or speech/language problems. The need for early identification and periodic assessment with this population is emphasized.