Investigating Relations between the NICU Speech Environment and Weight Gain in Infants Born Very Preterm.

· Preterm infants who experienced greater amounts of speech in the NICU gained significantly more weight than preterm infants who were exposed to lower amounts of speech during the same developmental period (32-36 weeks of postmenstrual age).. · Caloric intake and speech counts accounted for almost 60% of variance in infant weight gain between 32 and 36 weeks of postmenstrual age.. · Speech counts were not significantly correlated with family visitation, how long infants resided in incubators, or health acuity.. · Findings suggest that the NICU speech environment may play an important role in the physical health of preterm infants; however, more studies are needed to determine the directionality of the observed associations..