CHILDREN BORN AFTER ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: EVIDENCE FROM SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY PRACTICE

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have been increasingly used worldwide over the past decades, raising sustained interest in their potential implications for child development beyond perinatal outcomes. While medical risks associated with ART have been extensively examined, evidence regarding early functional development in real-world clinical contexts remains limited. The present study explores developmental characteristics and referral patterns among children conceived through ART in comparison with naturally conceived peers, using data derived from outpatient speech-language therapy practice. A retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted on 1,661 anonymized anamnestic records collected over a six-year period through a standardized web-based questionnaire completed by caregivers prior to developmental consultation. Children were grouped according to conception method (ART versus natural conception), and descriptive statistical methods were applied to examine demographic characteristics, referral age, developmental milestones, and parent-reported clinical information. Children conceived via ART accounted for 23.2% of the sample. In both groups, referrals were most frequent between 2 and 5 years of age and showed a consistent male predominance. ART-conceived children were referred at a slightly younger age; however, no clinically meaningful differences were identified between groups in early motor, communicative, or regulatory developmental milestones. A higher proportion of positive family history of hereditary conditions was observed in the ART group. These findings indicate that ART, as a method of conception, is not independently associated with adverse early developmental outcomes and support the use of inclusive, function-oriented developmental monitoring frameworks relevant to clinical practice and public health policy.