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

Gustaf Hakansson, Mimmi Eriksson Westblad, Maria Ortqvist, Ulrika Ådén, Mats Blennow, Peter Fransson (2025) Motor performance and higher associative cortical networks in adolescents with neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Bo Yang, Nina Zaks, Eero Kajantie, Monica S. M. Persson, Abraham Reichenberg, Mika Gissler, Kari Risnes, Alexander Kolevzon, Ulrika Ådén, Ezra Susser, Martina Persson, Jonas F. Ludvigsson, Kristiina Tammimies, Liona C. Poon, Benjamin Yip, Nora Doring, Sven Sandin, Weiyao Yin (2025) Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Individuals Born Preterm: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Studies BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE, Vol. 5, Article 100535 (Article, review/survey) Continue to DOI
Lina Brostrom, Hedvig Kvanta, Maria Ortqvist, Nelly Padilla, Ulrika Ådén (2025) Brain volumes are related with motor skills at late childhood in children born extremely preterm PLOS ONE, Vol. 20, Article e0326041 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Linn Löfberg, Thomas Abrahamsson, Lars J. Bjorklund, Lena Hellstrom Westas, Aijaz Farooqi, Magnus Domellof, Ulrika Ådén, Christian Gadsboll, Karin Kallen, David Ley, Erik Normann, Karin Savman, Anders Elfvin, Stellan Hakansson, Mikael Norman, Richard Sindelar, Fredrik Serenius, Petra Um-Bergstrom (2025) Respiratory support and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants born at 22-26 weeks gestation in Sweden, 2004-2007 and 2014-2016 European Respiratory Journal, Vol. 65, Article 2401203 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Siri Lillieskold, Karoline Lode-Kolz, Bjorn Westrup, Nils Bergman, Kimmo Sorjonen, Ulrika Ådén, Evalotte Mörelius, Siren Rettedal, Wibke Jonas (2025) Skin-to-skin contact at birth for very preterm infants and symptoms of depression and anxiety in parents during the first year - A secondary outcome of a randomized clinical trial Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 383, p. 323-332 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

Research group

Organisation