Aim: To study different aspects of spontaneous speech in children who needed NIC and in controls.

Subjects: A cohort of 294 children born in 1986-1989. Group I: GA 23-31w, n=61, subgr. IA: 23-27w, n=11, subgr.IB: 28-31w, n=50, gr.II: 32-36w, n=80, gr.III: ≥37w, n=68, gr.VII: cong. malformations, n=15, C: controls, n=70, matched for group I.

Method: During a 10-15 min conversation the spontaneous speech was evaluated as to information (A1), speech motor function (A2), sound pattern (A3), word finding (A4), word selection (A5), grammar (A6), interaction (A7) and motivation (A8), graded 0-5 (≤3, apparent deviation).

Results: Analysis of variance in groups (IA, IB, II, III, VII, C) showed sig. diff. in A1, A2, A6. Proportion of children with at least one grade ≤3 in spontaneous speech in group C was 20%. A higher value was found in children of group 1: 41% (p<0.01), of gr. II: 38.7% (p<0.05), of gr. III: 44.1% (p<0.01), of gr. IB: 42% (p<0.01). No difference was found in children of gr. VII: 40% and of gr. IA:36.4%.

Conclusion: The children studied less frequently have severe deviations in spontaneous speech than the previously studied cohort of children born in 1980-1985. This difference is most marked in children of group IB. (Ped.Res. 1995.38.3.438).