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Deficient language acquisition in children with single suture craniosynostosis and deformational posterior plagiocephaly

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Abstract

Purpose

This study examined early language acquisition in children with single suture craniosynostosis (SSC) and in children with deformational posterior plagiocephaly. Our purpose was to determine whether infants with SSC have normal language acquisition at the age of 3 years, and whether infants with deformational posterior plagiocephaly demonstrate parallel development when compared with children with SSC.

Methods

The study population includes 61 infants. Twenty of them had synostosis of the sagittal suture, 12 synostosis of other suture and 29 deformational posterior plagiocephaly. Forty-nine of them were operated on a mean age of 10.6 months, and 12 were non-operated children with deformational posterior plagiocephaly. Language skills of participants were prospectively evaluated at the mean age of 3 years 4 months.

Results

About one half of the subjects (49%) had normal linguistic development, 30% had slight developmental problems and 21% had severe disorders in speech–language-related skills. These figures showed the prevalence of severe language disorders to be three times higher in our study population when compared with the general population. Children with sagittal synostosis managed better in all language skills compared with other types of SSC. Defective language development was found in deformational posterior plagiocephaly, both operated and non-operated.

Conclusions

We found a noticeable developmental risk for specific language impairment in children with nonsyndromic SSC, and that the deviant language development is observable already in early infancy. Contrary to previous beliefs, the developmental risk for defective language development in deformational posterior plagiocephaly was found in both operated and non-operated subjects.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Turku University Research Foundation for the funding they provided to professor Korpilahti for this project. We also thank the families who have participated in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioural Sciences and Philosophy, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Pirjo Korpilahti

  2. Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Centre, Department of Plastic Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Pia Saarinen & Jyri Hukki

Authors
  1. Pirjo Korpilahti
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  2. Pia Saarinen
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  3. Jyri Hukki
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Correspondence to Pirjo Korpilahti.

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Korpilahti, P., Saarinen, P. & Hukki, J. Deficient language acquisition in children with single suture craniosynostosis and deformational posterior plagiocephaly. Childs Nerv Syst 28, 419–425 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1623-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1623-6

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