Facilitative Language Techniques Used in the Home by Caregivers of Young Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Aleah S. Brock ◽  
Sandie M. Bass-Ringdahl
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Hearing Level ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Hearing Devices ◽  
Pilot Investigation ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Adult Word Count

Purpose This research note reports preliminary data from an investigation of facilitative language techniques (FLTs) used in the natural environment by caregivers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). The investigation seeks to establish a new method to collect and analyze data on caregiver FLT use in the home. Method This pilot investigation included two children under the age of 36 months with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Both children were consistent users of hearing devices and were pursing oral communication. Data were collected via the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system in the participants' homes. Thirty-six 5-min segments containing the highest adult word count were extracted from each participant's sample. Researchers coded segments for the presence or absence of 10 FLTs within 30-s intervals. Results The collection, coding, and analysis of caregiver FLTs using LENA was a feasible method to investigate caregiver linguistic input in the natural environment. Despite differences in age, sex, and hearing level, the distribution of caregiver FLTs was similar for both participants. Caregivers used high levels of narration, closed-ended questions, and directives throughout the day. Conclusions Results of this investigation provide information about the types of FLTs that are used in the home by caregivers of young children who are DHH. Furthermore, results indicate the feasibility of this method to investigate in-home use of caregiver FLTs.

Evaluating the Language ENvironment Analysis System for Korean

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 792-808
Author(s):  
Margarethe McDonald ◽  
Taeahn Kwon ◽  
Hyunji Kim ◽  
Youngki Lee ◽  
Eon-Suk Ko
Keyword(s):  
Error Rate ◽  
English Language ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Identification Error ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Adult Word Count

Purpose The algorithm of the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system for calculating language environment measures was trained on American English; thus, its validity with other languages cannot be assumed. This article evaluates the accuracy of the LENA system applied to Korean. Method We sampled sixty 5-min recording clips involving 38 key children aged 7–18 months from a larger data set. We establish the identification error rate, precision, and recall of LENA classification compared to human coders. We then examine the correlation between standard LENA measures of adult word count, child vocalization count, and conversational turn count and human counts of the same measures. Results Our identification error rate (64% or 67%), including false alarm, confusion, and misses, was similar to the rate found in Cristia, Lavechin, et al. (2020) . The correlation between LENA and human counts for adult word count ( r = .78 or .79) was similar to that found in the other studies, but the same measure for child vocalization count ( r = .34–.47) was lower than the value in Cristia, Lavechin, et al., though it fell within ranges found in other non-European languages. The correlation between LENA and human conversational turn count was not high ( r = .36–.47), similar to the findings in other studies. Conclusions LENA technology is similarly reliable for Korean language environments as it is for other non-English language environments. Factors affecting the accuracy of diarization include speakers' pitch, duration of utterances, age, and the presence of noise and electronic sounds.

Evaluating Language Environment Analysis System Performance for Chinese: A Pilot Study in Shanghai

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Gilkerson ◽  
Yiwen Zhang ◽  
Dongxin Xu ◽  
Jeffrey A. Richards ◽  
Xiaojuan Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Adult Word Count ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Shanghai Dialect

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate performance of the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) automated language-analysis system for the Chinese Shanghai dialect and Mandarin (SDM) languages. Method Volunteer parents of 22 children aged 3–23 months were recruited in Shanghai. Families provided daylong in-home audio recordings using LENA. A native speaker listened to 15 min of randomly selected audio samples per family to label speaker regions and provide Chinese character and SDM word counts for adult speakers. LENA segment labeling and counts were compared with rater-based values. Results LENA demonstrated good sensitivity in identifying adult and child; this sensitivity was comparable to that of American English validation samples. Precision was strong for adults but less so for children. LENA adult word count correlated strongly with both Chinese characters and SDM word counts. LENA conversational turn counts correlated similarly with rater-based counts after the exclusion of three unusual samples. Performance related to some degree to child age. Conclusions LENA adult word count and conversational turn provided reasonably accurate estimates for SDM over the age range tested. Theoretical and practical considerations regarding LENA performance in non-English languages are discussed. Despite the pilot nature and other limitations of the study, results are promising for broader cross-linguistic applications.

scholarly journals Describing Vocalizations in Young Children: A Big Data Approach Through Citizen Science Annotation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Chiara Semenzin ◽  
Lisa Hamrick ◽  
Amanda Seidl ◽  
Bridgette L. Kelleher ◽  
Alejandrina Cristia
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Feasible Solution ◽  
Risk Control ◽  
Language Impairments ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Early Markers ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Neurogenetic Syndrome

Purpose Recording young children's vocalizations through wearables is a promising method to assess language development. However, accurately and rapidly annotating these files remains challenging. Online crowdsourcing with the collaboration of citizen scientists could be a feasible solution. In this article, we assess the extent to which citizen scientists' annotations align with those gathered in the lab for recordings collected from young children. Method Segments identified by Language ENvironment Analysis as produced by the key child were extracted from one daylong recording for each of 20 participants: 10 low-risk control children and 10 children diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, a neurogenetic syndrome characterized by severe language impairments. Speech samples were annotated by trained annotators in the laboratory as well as by citizen scientists on Zooniverse. All annotators assigned one of five labels to each sample: Canonical, Noncanonical, Crying, Laughing, and Junk. This allowed the derivation of two child-level vocalization metrics: the Linguistic Proportion and the Canonical Proportion. Results At the segment level, Zooniverse classifications had moderate precision and recall. More importantly, the Linguistic Proportion and the Canonical Proportion derived from Zooniverse annotations were highly correlated with those derived from laboratory annotations. Conclusions Annotations obtained through a citizen science platform can help us overcome challenges posed by the process of annotating daylong speech recordings. Particularly when used in composites or derived metrics, such annotations can be used to investigate early markers of language delays.

Accuracy of the language environment analysis (LENA) speech processing system for detecting communicative vocalizations of young children

2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (4) ◽  
pp. 2956-2956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaie C. Woodard ◽  
Nikaela Losievski ◽  
Meisam K. Arjmandi ◽  
Matthew Lehet ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment

Exploring Early Childhood Language Environments: A Comparison of Language Use, Exposure, and Interactions in the Home and Childcare Settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 706-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne L. Larson ◽  
Tyson S. Barrett ◽  
Scott R. McConnell
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Conversational Turns

Purpose This study was conducted in a large Midwestern metropolitan area to examine the language environments at home and in center-based childcare for young children who are living in poverty. We compared child language use and exposure in the home and childcare settings using extended observations with automated Language Environment Analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental factors that may affect change in language outcomes for young children. Method Thirty-eight children, along with parents ( n = 38) and childcare providers ( n = 14) across five childcare centers, participated in this study. Each child completed a standardized language assessment and two daylong recordings with Language Environment Analysis to determine the number of adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations that occurred in each setting. Data were analyzed at 5-min intervals across each recording. Results Comparisons between home recordings in this sample and a comparison group showed reliably higher rates of adult words and conversational turns in the home setting. Linear mixed-effects regression models showed significant differences in the child language environments, with the home setting providing higher levels of language input and use. These effects were still meaningful after accounting for the time of day, participant demographic characteristics, and child language ability. Conclusions Practical implications for supporting child language development across settings are discussed, and suggestions for further research are provided. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12042678

Language Environments and Spoken Language Development of Children With Hearing Loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-468
Author(s):  
Sonia Arora ◽  
Elaine R Smolen ◽  
Ye Wang ◽  
Maria Hartman ◽  
Amanda Howerton-Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Input ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Teachers And Parents ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Adult Word Count

Abstract This study examined the relationships between adult language input and child language production in regard to the quantity and diversity of spoken language, as well as children’s knowledge of basic concepts and vocabulary. The quantity and diversity of language provided by teachers and parents were related to children’s language output and knowledge. Language ENvironment Analysis technology audio-recorded the language environments of 26 preschool children with hearing loss over 2 days. The language samples were analyzed for quantity (adult word count, child vocalization count, and conversational turn count) and diversity (lexical diversity, syntactical complexity, and clausal complexity) of language. Results indicated a relationship between adult language input and child language production, but only in regard to the quantity of language. Significant differences between the teachers and parents were reported in regard to the diversity of adult language input. These results suggest that the language input provided by adults across environments (school versus home) is considerably different and warrants further investigation.

Practioner Reflection That Enhances Interprofessional Collaborative Practices for Serving Children Who Are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Blaiser ◽  
Mary Ellen Nevins
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Collaborative Practices ◽  
Interprofessional Teams ◽  
Client Care

Interprofessional collaboration is essential to maximize outcomes of young children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (DHH). Speech-language pathologists, audiologists, educators, developmental therapists, and parents need to work together to ensure the child's hearing technology is fit appropriately to maximize performance in the various communication settings the child encounters. However, although interprofessional collaboration is a key concept in communication sciences and disorders, there is often a disconnect between what is regarded as best professional practice and the self-work needed to put true collaboration into practice. This paper offers practical tools, processes, and suggestions for service providers related to the self-awareness that is often required (yet seldom acknowledged) to create interprofessional teams with the dispositions and behaviors that enhance patient/client care.

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