Young Survivor Unit (YoSU)

adult hand holding the hand of a prematurely born baby.
Our research aims to better understand the development of children who have been seriously ill early in life.  Photographer: herjua

The child's early years are critical for later development. Injuries to the child in connection with childbirth, birth long before the expected date or serious illness early in life affect the child's opportunities to develop. Our research aims to better understand the development of these children.

In the past, many of these children did not survive the first period. As healthcare has developed, more and more are surviving. These new and later young survivors are at great risk for brain damage, motor abnormalities and CP, autism, ADHD and learning disabilities.

A research group sits on a bench at Campus US in Linköping.Young Survivor Unit (YoSU). Photo credit John Karlsson Our research aims to better understand the development of children who have been seriously ill early in life. Furthermore, to develop and study interventions that, in the long term, increase the children's functioning in everyday life. We evaluate assessment instruments with the aim of improving diagnostics and enabling the right support interventions for the children and families we meet. We study interventions with a focus on strengthening children's cognitive, motor and social skills.

The aim

The aim of our research is generally to improve knowledge, diagnostics and interventions for children who have been seriously ill during the newborn period. Ultimately, our vision is to move from "wait and see" to early intervention.

News

Publications

Latest publications

2025

Erik Wejryd, Erik Freiholtz Jern, Giovanna Marchini, Ulrika Ådén, Eva Landberg, Thomas Abrahamsson (2025) Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Breast Milk at Two Weeks of Age in Relation to Neurodevelopment in 2-Year-Old Children Born Extremely Preterm: An Explorative Trial Nutrients, Vol. 17, Article 832 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Gustaf Hakansson, Katarina Robertsson Grossmann, Ulrika Ådén, Mats Blennow, Peter Fransson (2025) Functional brain connectivity in early adolescence after hypothermia-treated neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy Pediatric Research (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Pernilla Hugoson, Friederike Barbara Haslbeck, Ulrika Ådén, Louise Eulau (2025) Parental singing during kangaroo care: parents' experiences of singing to their preterm infant in the NICU Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 16, Article 1440905 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Erik Wejryd, Giovanna Marchini, Peter Bang, Baldvin Jonsson, Ulrika Ådén, Thomas Abrahamsson (2025) Neurodevelopment and Growth 2 Years After Probiotic Supplementation in Extremely Preterm Infants: A Randomised Trial Acta Paediatrica (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Brynhildur Tinna Birgisdottir, Tomas Andersson, Ingela Hulthen Varli, Sissel Saltvedt, Ke Lu, Farhad Abtahi, Ulrika Ådén, Malin Holzmann (2025) Changes in short-term variation of antenatal cardiotocography to identify intraamniotic infection: a historical cohort study The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, Vol. 38, Article 2434059 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

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