The development of discourse referencing in Cantonese of deaf/hard-of-hearing children

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
FELIX SZE ◽  
GLADYS TANG ◽  
TAMMY LAU ◽  
EMILY LAM ◽  
CHRIS YIU

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the development of discourse referencing in spoken Cantonese of fifteen deaf/hard-of-hearing children studying in a sign bilingual and co-enrolment education programme in a mainstream setting in Hong Kong. A comparison of their elicited narratives with those of the hearing children and adults shows that, despite a delay in acquiring the grammatical markings for (in)definiteness in Cantonese, these d/hh children show sensitivity towards the referential properties of different types of nominal expressions and their corresponding mappings with discourse functions. Specifically, they produced more bare nouns across all discourse contexts but fewer existential constructions, pronouns, demonstratives, and classifier-related constructions. Their choice of nominal expressions and the observed errors show striking similarities to the productions by the younger hearing children in this study, suggesting that the d/hh children's route of development of discourse referencing is likely to be similar to that of hearing children despite a slower rate of development.

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-458
Author(s):  
Tammy H M Lau ◽  
Kathy Y S Lee ◽  
Emily Y C Lam ◽  
Joffee H S Lam ◽  
Chris K M Yiu ◽  
...  

Abstract In Hong Kong, students are expected to speak fluent Cantonese, Putonghua, and English. However, the curriculum does not include Cantonese studies, as children are expected to have already acquired Cantonese by the age of school entry. This study examined the language outcomes of Cantonese-speaking deaf or hard-of-hearing children who attend primary schools within the Hong Kong educational system and considered whether the system currently meets the needs of these children. The Hong Kong Cantonese Oral Language Assessment Scale, which comprises six subtests, was used to assess 98 children with mild to profound hearing loss. A regression analysis was used to examine the influences of various variables on oral language performance in these children. Notably, 41% of the participants had achieved age-appropriate oral language skills, while 18% and 41% exhibited mild-to-moderate or severe oral language impairment, respectively. The degree of hearing loss and the use of speech therapy were identified as significant negative predictors of oral language performance. The issues of a relatively late diagnosis and device fitting, as well as the very poor oral language outcomes, strongly emphasize the need for policy makers to reconsider the existing educational approaches and support for deaf or hard-of-hearing children.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheung-Chi Chow ◽  
Tai-Yuen Hon ◽  
Wing-Keung Wong ◽  
Kai Yin Woo

Author(s):  
Constance Th. W. M. Vissers ◽  
Daan Hermans

The implications of a hearing loss can go far beyond the linguistic domain. Several studies have revealed that deaf and hard-of-hearing children are at risk in their social-emotional development. This chapter argues that executive functions and theory of mind are two central underlying cognitive factors in people’s social-emotional functioning. We briefly review what is currently known about executive functioning and theory-of-mind development in deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents and then present a cognitive model with a central role for inner speech in relation to executive functioning and theory of mind. We hypothesize that inner speech both enables and urges the regulation of oneself (executive function) and also the mentalization of one’s own and others’ inner worlds (theory of mind). We discuss the implications for assessing and treating social-emotional problems in deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents.


Author(s):  
Nina Jakhelln Laugen

In some respects, hard-of-hearing children experience the same difficulties as deaf children, whereas other challenges might be easier or more difficult to handle for the hard-of-hearing child than it would be for the deaf child. Research has revealed great variability in the language, academic, and psychosocial outcomes of hard-of-hearing children. Universal newborn hearing screening enables early identification and intervention for this group, which traditionally has been diagnosed rather late; however, best practices regarding the scope and content of early intervention have not yet been sufficiently described for hard-of-hearing children. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge concerning psychosocial development in hard-of-hearing children. Risk and protective factors, and their implications for early intervention, are discussed with a special emphasis on preschoolers.


Author(s):  
Dani Levine ◽  
Daniela Avelar ◽  
Roberta Michnick Golinkoff ◽  
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek ◽  
Derek M. Houston

Copious evidence indicates that, even in the first year of life, children’s language development is beginning and is impacted by a wide array of cognitive and social processes. The extent to which these processes are dependent on early language input is a critical concern for most deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, who, unlike hearing children, are usually not immersed in a language-rich environment until effective interventions, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, are implemented. Importantly, some cognitive and social processes are not dependent on the early availability of language input and begin to develop before children are fitted for hearing aids or cochlear implants. Interventions involving parent training may be helpful for enhancing social underpinnings of language and for maximizing DHH children’s language learning once effective hearing devices are in place. Similarly, cognitive training for DHH children may also provide benefit to bolster language development.


Author(s):  
Evelyn L. Fisher ◽  
Lia K. Thibodaux ◽  
Danielle Previ ◽  
Jennifer Reesman

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