A recent study by researchers from Penn State’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has found that pre-term babies cry differently compared to full-term babies, but these differences may not indicate developmental concerns when age-corrected. The study, published in Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, examined the acoustic features of cries from pre-term babies, adjusting their age to match developmental expectations.
Lead author Michael Robb explained that earlier studies had raised alarms about noisier cries from pre-term babies, suggesting potential developmental risks compared to full-term infants. However, by adjusting for age—considering how many weeks early the babies were born—the researchers found minimal differences in cry characteristics between pre-term and full-term infants.
The study focused on distress cries of 20 pre-term and 20 full-term babies, ensuring both groups experienced similar levels of distress. Despite initial concerns, the analysis revealed no significant differences in the noise levels or patterns of distress cries between the two groups.
“This study challenges previous assumptions by showing that occasional variations in cry patterns are normal for healthy babies, regardless of whether they are born pre-term or full-term,” Robb stated. He emphasized that noisy cries should not be used as a sole predictor of a baby’s developmental outcomes.
The findings suggest that understanding crying patterns in babies could pave the way for further research into other aspects of infant development. Nina Romo, Jimin Lee, and Kathleen Wermke, among others, contributed to this significant research effort.
