Antenatal and neonatal risk factors in very preterm children were associated with language difficulties at 9 years of age

Aim: This Finnish study compared language and reading abilities between schoolchildren born at a very low gestational age (VLGA) of <32 weeks and at term and analysed any associations between antenatal and neonatal risk factors and language skills in the VLGA group. Methods: We prospectively followed 76 children born at a VLGA and 50 children born at term when they reached a mean age of 9.0 (8.1–10.0) years. They attended mainstream schools and had no severe neurosensory disabilities. Receptive language ability, rapid naming and word reading were evaluated using standardised tests. Results: Children in the VLGA group had lower scores for receptive language abilities (median 55.0 vs. 57.0, p = 0.01) and word reading (mean 4.4 vs. 5.1, p = 0.03) than the children in the term group. In the VLGA group, foetal growth restriction was associated with lower scores for rapid naming, early intraventricular haemorrhage was associated with poor word reading and respiratory distress syndrome was associated with poor rapid naming (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Schoolchildren born at a VLGA had more difficulties with receptive language abilities and word reading than children born at term. Foetal growth restriction and early neonatal morbidities were associated with language difficulties.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Atypical perceptual narrowing in prematurely born infants is associated with compromised language acquisition at 2 years of age

Peer reviewe

A Potential Novel Spontaneous Preterm Birth Gene, AR, Identified by Linkage and Association Analysis of X Chromosomal Markers

Peer reviewe

A study of genes encoding cytokines (IL6, IL10, TNF), cytokine receptors (IL6R, IL6ST), and glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) and susceptibility to bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Peer reviewe

Mapping a New Spontaneous Preterm Birth Susceptibility Gene, IGF1R, Using Linkage, Haplotype Sharing, and Association Analysis

Peer reviewe

Masa Marsun animaatiopaja : animaatio-opas mediakasvatuksen välineeksi Taidepäiväkoti Satakieleen

Tämän toiminnallisen opinnäytetyön aiheena oli mediakasvatus varhaiskasvatuksessa. Opinnäytetyön toimeksiantajana oli Taidepäiväkoti Satakieli. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli luoda kasvattajille yksi mahdollinen malli mediakasvatuksen toteuttamiseen varhaiskasvatuksessa. Toimeksiantajan tarpeesta työvälineenä mallissa käytettiin animaatiota, jonka tekemisessä yhdistyvät luontevasti media- ja taidekasvatus. Opinnäytetyön lähtökohtana olivat lasten osallisuus ja lapsinäkökulma. Lasten näkökulmasta opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli herätellä lasten medialukutaitoja oman animaation tuottamisen kautta: lapset eivät ole ainoastaan median passiivisia vastaanottajia vaan myös aktiivisia mediasisällön tuottajia. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli laatia opas animaatiopajan toteuttamiseen alle kouluikäisten lasten kanssa. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli välittää tietoa kasvattajille animaatiopajan ohjaamisesta. Toiminnallisessa osuudessa toteutetun animaatiopajan tuotoksena syntyi lasten yhdessä tekemä animaatio. Animaatiopajan ja siitä saadun palautteen avulla laadittiin opinnäytetyön tuotos eli Masa Marsun animaatiopaja – Opas animaation toteuttamiseen varhaiskasvatuksessa. Opas tarjoaa kasvattajalle välineitä mediasisällön tuottamiseen yhdessä lasten kanssa sekä työkaluja mediakasvatukseen. Opas sisältää lyhyen informatiivisen osion vanhemman roolista mediakasvatuksessa. Pienten lasten mediankäyttö lisääntyy koko ajan ja nyky-yhteiskunnassa on selvä tarve järjestelmällisemmälle mediakasvatukselle myös varhaiskasvatuksessa. Kasvattajat tarvitsevat helppokäyttöisiä, valmiita malleja mediakasvatuksen toteuttamiseen ja rohkaisua mediavälineiden käyttöön. Kasvattajien tulisi tiedostaa kasvatuskumppanuuden merkitys mediakasvatuksessa. Animaatiopajan toteuttaminen antaa kasvattajille tilaisuuden keskustella vanhempien kanssa lasten mediankäytöstä. Opas on hyödynnettävissä päiväkodin toimintaan ja sitä voidaan soveltaa eri-ikäisille ja erilaisille lapsiryhmille.The topic of this thesis was media education in early childhood education. The commissioner of the thesis was Daycare Satakieli. The purpose of the thesis was to create one possible model to put media education into practice in early childhood education. Based on our commissioner’s needs the tool used was animation, where one can easily combine art- and media education. The basis of the thesis was child’s participation and perspective. From the children’s point of view the purpose was to awaken media literacy through producing their own animation: children are not only passive recipients of media but also active producers of media content. The goal of the thesis was to make a guide to animation workshop for work with children under school age. Furthermore, the goal was to give educators information on instructing animation workshop. The functional part of the thesis consisted of an animation workshop where the children created their own animation. With the help of the workshop and feedback from it we created the output of the thesis: “Animation workshop of Masa the Guinea Pig – a guide to animation as a tool of media education in early childhood education”. The guide gives tools for producing media content together with children and material for media education. There is a short informative part about parent’s role in the media education in the guide. The use of media among small children is increasing all the time. Nowadays there is a clear need for even more systematic media education. What educators need are easy to use, ready-made models of media education as well as encouragement to use media tools. Educators should become aware of the importance of parental partnership in media education. Animation workshop gives educators an opportunity to discuss with parents children’s media use. The guide can be used in the daycare activities and it can be applied to children of varying ages and different groups of children

Microstructural alterations in association tracts and language abilities in schoolchildren born very preterm and with poor fetal growth

Abstract Background: Prematurity and perinatal risk factors may influence white matter microstructure. In turn, these maturational changes may influence language development in this high-risk population of children. Objective: To evaluate differences in the microstructure of association tracts between preterm and term children and between preterm children with appropriate growth and those with fetal growth restriction and to study whether the diffusion tensor metrics of these tracts correlate with language abilities in schoolchildren with no severe neurological impairment. Materials and methods: This study prospectively followed 56 very preterm children (mean gestational age: 28.7 weeks) and 21 age- and gender-matched term children who underwent diffusion tensor imaging at a mean age of 9 years. We used automated probabilistic tractography and measured fractional anisotropy in seven bilateral association tracts known to belong to the white matter language network. Both groups participated in language assessment using five standardised tests at the same age. Results: Preterm children had lower fractional anisotropy in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus 1 compared to term children (P &lt; 0.05). Preterm children with fetal growth restriction had lower fractional anisotropy in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus compared to preterm children with appropriate fetal growth (P &lt; 0.05). Fractional anisotropy in three dorsal tracts and in two dorsal and one ventral tract had a positive correlation with language assessments among preterm children and preterm children with fetal growth restriction, respectively (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: There were some microstructural differences in language-related tracts between preterm and term children and between preterm children with appropriate and those with restricted fetal growth. Children with better language abilities had a higher fractional anisotropy in distinct white matter tracts

Mitochondrial hearing loss mutations among Finnish preterm and term-born infants

Abstract Mitochondrial ribosomal 12S subunit gene (MTRNR1) is a hot spot for hearing loss mutations. Mutations such as m.1555A&gt;G, m.1494C&gt;T and m.1095C&gt;T, cause sensitivity to aminoglycosides. Aminoglycoside treatment induces permanent hearing loss or deafness in the carriers and should therefore be avoided. The prevalence of these sensitivity mutations varies in different countries and populations. Over 90% of preterm children need aminoglycoside treatment during their first weeks of life. Infants who carry a mitochondrial sensitivity mutation can develop a life-long sensorineural hearing impairment as a side-effect of aminoglycoside treatment. Total of 813 Finnish preterm (born G, m.1494T&gt;C and m.1095C&gt;T mutations. The population prevalence of m.1555A&gt;G was determined to be 0.12% in Finland. M.1494C&gt;T and m.1095C&gt;T mutations were absent. Out of the 813 infants, a term-born infant was found to harbor m.1555A&gt;G at 81% heteroplasmy, while his mother’s heteroplasmy was 68%. Both had normal hearing and had not received aminoglycosides. Mothers with a family history of hearing loss who are at risk of preterm labor would benefit from antenatal genotyping of m.1555A&gt;G mutation. The prevalence of m.1555A&gt;G in Finns was close to other European countries. M.1494C&gt;T and m.1095C&gt;T mutations either do not occur in the Finnish population or they are very rare. This study highlights the importance of population-specific genotyping of MTRNR1 aminoglycoside sensitivity mutations, especially in countries with liberal aminoglycoside use