scholarly journals Profiles of Verbal Working Memory Growth Predict Speech and Language Development in Children With Cochlear Implants

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 805-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Kronenberger ◽  
David B. Pisoni ◽  
Michael S. Harris ◽  
Helena M. Hoen ◽  
Huiping Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Clinical Population ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Verbal short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) skills predict speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants (CIs) even after conventional demographic, device, and medical factors are taken into account. However, prior research has focused on single end point outcomes as opposed to the longitudinal process of development of verbal STM/WM and speech-language skills. In this study, the authors investigated relations between profiles of verbal STM/WM development and speech-language development over time. Method Profiles of verbal STM/WM development were identified through the use of group-based trajectory analysis of repeated digit span measures over at least a 2-year time period in a sample of 66 children (ages 6–16 years) with CIs. Subjects also completed repeated assessments of speech and language skills during the same time period. Results Clusters representing different patterns of development of verbal STM (digit span forward scores) were related to the growth rate of vocabulary and language comprehension skills over time. Clusters representing different patterns of development of verbal WM (digit span backward scores) were related to the growth rate of vocabulary and spoken word recognition skills over time. Conclusion Different patterns of development of verbal STM/WM capacity predict the dynamic process of development of speech and language skills in this clinical population.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Development of Executive Functioning and Spoken Language Skills in Preschool-Aged Children With Cochlear Implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1128-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Kronenberger ◽  
Huiping Xu ◽  
David B. Pisoni
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Longitudinal Development ◽  
Spoken Language Skills ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Auditory deprivation has downstream effects on the development of language and executive functioning (EF) in prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs), but little is known about the very early development of EF during preschool ages in children with CIs. This study investigated the longitudinal development of EF and spoken language skills in samples of children with normal hearing (NH; N = 40) or CIs ( N = 41) during preschool ages. Method Participants were enrolled in the study between ages 3 and 6 years and evaluated annually up to the age of 7 years. Mixed-effects models were used to evaluate and predict growth of spoken language and EF skills over time. Results Children with CIs scored lower than NH peers on language measures but improved significantly over time. On performance-based neurocognitive measures of controlled attention, inhibition, and working memory, children with CIs scored more poorly than the sample of NH peers but comparable to norms, whereas on a parent report behavior checklist, children with CIs scored more poorly than both NH peers and norms on inhibition and working memory. Children with CIs had poorer EF than the sample of NH peers in most domains even after accounting for language effects, and language predicted only the verbal working memory domain of EF. In contrast, EF skills consistently predicted language skills at subsequent visits. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that, despite significant improvement over time, some domains of EF (particularly parent-reported EF) and language skills in children with CIs lag behind those of children with NH during preschool ages. Language delays do not fully explain differences in EF development between children with CIs and NH peers during preschool ages, but EF skills predict subsequent language development in children with CIs.

scholarly journals Early Postimplant Speech Perception and Language Skills Predict Long-Term Language and Neurocognitive Outcomes Following Pediatric Cochlear Implantation

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 2321-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia R. Hunter ◽  
William G. Kronenberger ◽  
Irina Castellanos ◽  
David B. Pisoni
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Neurocognitive Outcomes

PurposeWe sought to determine whether speech perception and language skills measured early after cochlear implantation in children who are deaf, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language skills, predict long-term speech perception, language, and neurocognitive outcomes.MethodThirty-six long-term users of cochlear implants, implanted at an average age of 3.4 years, completed measures of speech perception, language, and executive functioning an average of 14.4 years postimplantation. Speech perception and language skills measured in the 1st and 2nd years postimplantation and open-set word recognition measured in the 3rd and 4th years postimplantation were obtained from a research database in order to assess predictive relations with long-term outcomes.ResultsSpeech perception and language skills at 6 and 18 months postimplantation were correlated with long-term outcomes for language, verbal working memory, and parent-reported executive functioning. Open-set word recognition was correlated with early speech perception and language skills and long-term speech perception and language outcomes. Hierarchical regressions showed that early speech perception and language skills at 6 months postimplantation and growth in these skills from 6 to 18 months both accounted for substantial variance in long-term outcomes for language and verbal working memory that was not explained by conventional demographic and hearing factors.ConclusionSpeech perception and language skills measured very early postimplantation, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language, may be clinically relevant markers of long-term language and neurocognitive outcomes in users of cochlear implants.Supplemental materialshttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5216200

scholarly journals Lexical Repetition Properties of Caregiver Speech and Language Development in Children With Cochlear Implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 872-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Jongmin Jung ◽  
Tonya R. Bergeson ◽  
Derek M. Houston
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Language Assessments ◽  
Language Input ◽  
Speech And Language Development ◽  
Maternal Speech

Purpose Early language input plays an important role in child language and cognitive development (e.g., Gilkerson et al., 2018; Hart & Risley, 1995). In this study, we examined the effects of child's hearing status on lexical repetition properties of speech produced by their caregivers with normal hearing (NH). In addition, we investigated the relationship between maternal lexical repetition properties and later language skills in English-learning infants with cochlear implants (CIs). Method In a free-play session, 17 mothers and their prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 2 years of age (CI group) were recorded at two post-CI intervals: 3 and 6 months postactivation; 18 hearing experience–matched infants with NH and their mothers and 14 chronological age–matched infants with NH group and their mothers were matched to the CI group. Maternal speech was transcribed from the recordings, and measures of maternal lexical repetition were obtained. Standardized language assessments were administered on children with CIs approximately two years after CI activation. Results The findings indicated that measures of lexical repetition were similar among the three groups of mothers, regardless of the hearing status of their infants. In addition, lexical repetition measures were correlated with later language skills in infants with CIs. Conclusions Infants with CIs receive the language input that contains similar lexical repetition properties as that in the speech received by their peers with NH, which is likely to play an important role in child speech processing and language development. These findings provide the knowledge for professionals to coach parents to implement specific language intervention strategies to support language development in infants with hearing loss. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.11936322

scholarly journals Potential Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Communication and Language Skills in Children

2020 ◽  
pp. 019459982097824
Author(s):  
Sara A. Charney ◽  
Stephen M. Camarata ◽  
Alexander Chern
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Communication Environment ◽  
Virtual Meetings ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Speech And Language Development

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many unintended, long-lasting consequences for society. Preventative practices such as mask wearing, social distancing, and virtual meetings and classrooms to address contagion concerns may negatively affect communication, particularly in the pediatric population, as schools have begun to open this fall. Increasing awareness and creating innovative methods to promote communication and language learning in settings both in person and virtual is paramount. Although more studies are needed to characterize the pandemic’s impact on pediatric speech and language development, clinicians and parents should be cognizant of this phenomenon and proactive in facilitating an optimal communication environment for children.

scholarly journals Speech Recognition in Adults With Cochlear Implants: The Effects of Working Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 1046-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Moberly ◽  
Michael S. Harris ◽  
Lauren Boyce ◽  
Susan Nittrouer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Serial Recall ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Phonological Sensitivity

Purpose Models of speech recognition suggest that “top-down” linguistic and cognitive functions, such as use of phonotactic constraints and working memory, facilitate recognition under conditions of degradation, such as in noise. The question addressed in this study was what happens to these functions when a listener who has experienced years of hearing loss obtains a cochlear implant. Method Thirty adults with cochlear implants and 30 age-matched controls with age-normal hearing underwent testing of verbal working memory using digit span and serial recall of words. Phonological capacities were assessed using a lexical decision task and nonword repetition. Recognition of words in sentences in speech-shaped noise was measured. Results Implant users had only slightly poorer working memory accuracy than did controls and only on serial recall of words; however, phonological sensitivity was highly impaired. Working memory did not facilitate speech recognition in noise for either group. Phonological sensitivity predicted sentence recognition for implant users but not for listeners with normal hearing. Conclusion Clinical speech recognition outcomes for adult implant users relate to the ability of these users to process phonological information. Results suggest that phonological capacities may serve as potential clinical targets through rehabilitative training. Such novel interventions may be particularly helpful for older adult implant users.

Verbal working memory resources and comprehension of relative clauses in children with cochlear implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Volpato
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Role Assignment ◽  
Memory Measure ◽  
Theta Role ◽  
Italian Children ◽  
Memory Resources

Verbal working memory resources may impact syntax comprehension. Thirteen Italian children with cochlear implants (CIs) were assessed in relative clause (RC) comprehension, digit span and nonword repetition and compared to 13 chronological age peers (CA) and 13 younger controls (LA) with normal hearing (NH). The RC comprehension task tested subject relatives (SR), object relatives with preverbal (OR) and postverbal subjects (ORp) where number features were manipulated. Children with CIs show worse performance than controls in RC comprehension and nonword repetition. In the RC task, number features facilitated comprehension by children with NH, but not by children with CIs. The memory measure that predicted RC comprehension was digit span. In the LA group, backward digit span predicted comprehension of all RC types. Forward digit span predicted comprehension of ORs with number mismatch in the CA group, and comprehension of ORs with number mismatch and ORps in children with CIs. In these conditions, high memory resources are needed to exploit number features in theta-role assignment.

scholarly journals Forward Digit Span and Word Familiarity Do Not Correlate With Differences in Speech Recognition in Individuals With Cochlear Implants After Accounting for Auditory Resolution

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Adam K. Bosen ◽  
Victoria A. Sevich ◽  
Shauntelle A. Cannon
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Storage ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Word Familiarity

Purpose In individuals with cochlear implants, speech recognition is not associated with tests of working memory that primarily reflect storage, such as forward digit span. In contrast, our previous work found that vocoded speech recognition in individuals with normal hearing was correlated with performance on a forward digit span task. A possible explanation for this difference across groups is that variability in auditory resolution across individuals with cochlear implants could conceal the true relationship between speech and memory tasks. Here, our goal was to determine if performance on forward digit span and speech recognition tasks are correlated in individuals with cochlear implants after controlling for individual differences in auditory resolution. Method We measured sentence recognition ability in 20 individuals with cochlear implants with Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set sentences. Spectral and temporal modulation detection tasks were used to assess individual differences in auditory resolution, auditory forward digit span was used to assess working memory storage, and self-reported word familiarity was used to assess vocabulary. Results Individual differences in speech recognition were predicted by spectral and temporal resolution. A correlation was found between forward digit span and speech recognition, but this correlation was not significant after controlling for spectral and temporal resolution. No relationship was found between word familiarity and speech recognition. Forward digit span performance was not associated with individual differences in auditory resolution. Conclusions Our findings support the idea that sentence recognition in individuals with cochlear implants is primarily limited by individual differences in working memory processing, not storage. Studies examining the relationship between speech and memory should control for individual differences in auditory resolution.

A Comparison of the Speech and Language Skills of Children With Cochlear Implants and Children With Normal Hearing

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efrat A. Schorr ◽  
Froma P. Roth ◽  
Nathan A. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Auditory Memory ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Language Measures

This study explored the language skills of children with cochlear implants (CIs) compared to normal hearing (NH) peers. Standardized speech and language measures, including speech articulation, receptive and expressive vocabulary, syntax and morphology, and metalinguistics, were administered to 39 congenitally deaf children, ages 5 to 14, and a matched sample of NH children. Many CI children demonstrated age-appropriate scores on several language measures, yet their performance was significantly lower than NH peers. Results indicated that (a) age at implant predicted significant variance in receptive vocabulary and short-term auditory memory performance, and (b) duration of CI use predicted receptive syntax performance.

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