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.

Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Caregiver Talk

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos R. Benítez-Barrera ◽  
Gina P. Angley ◽  
Anne Marie Tharpe
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Equivalent Number ◽  
System Use ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Language Environment

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the spoken language production of caregivers with young children who have hearing loss. Method Language Environment Analysis recorders were used with 10 families during 2 consecutive weekends (RMS weekend and No-RMS weekend). The amount of talk from a single caregiver that could be made accessible to children with hearing loss when using an RMS was estimated using Language Environment Analysis software. The total amount of caregiver talk (close and far talk) was also compared across both weekends. In addition, caregivers' perceptions of RMS use were gathered. Results Children, with the use of RMSs, could potentially have access to approximately 42% more words per day. In addition, although caregivers produced an equivalent number of words on both weekends, they tended to talk more from a distance when using the RMS than when not. Finally, caregivers reported positive perceived communication benefits of RMS use. Conclusions Findings from this investigation suggest that children with hearing loss have increased access to caregiver talk when using an RMS in the home environment. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed.

scholarly journals Parental Language Input to Children With Hearing Loss: Does It Matter in the End?

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nittrouer ◽  
Joanna H. Lowenstein ◽  
Joseph Antonelli
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Language Input ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Purpose Parental language input (PLI) has reliably been found to influence child language development for children at risk of language delay, but previous work has generally restricted observations to the preschool years. The current study examined whether PLI during the early years explains variability in the spoken language abilities of children with hearing loss at those young ages, as well as later in childhood. Participants One hundred children participated: 34 with normal hearing, 24 with moderate losses who used hearing aids (HAs), and 42 with severe-to-profound losses who used cochlear implants (CIs). Mean socioeconomic status was middle class for all groups. Children with CIs generally received them early. Method Samples of parent–child interactions were analyzed to characterize PLI during the preschool years. Child language abilities (CLAs) were assessed at 48 months and 10 years of age. Results No differences were observed across groups in how parents interacted with their children. Nonetheless, strong differences across groups were observed in the effects of PLI on CLAs at 48 months of age: Children with normal hearing were largely resilient to their parents' language styles. Children with HAs were most influenced by the amount of PLI. Children with CIs were most influenced by PLI that evoked child language and modeled more complex versions. When potential influences of preschool PLI on CLAs at 10 years of age were examined, those effects at preschool were replicated. When mediation analyses were performed, however, it was found that the influences of preschool PLI on CLAs at 10 years of age were partially mediated by CLAs at preschool. Conclusion PLI is critical to the long-term spoken language abilities of children with hearing loss, but the style of input that is most effective varies depending on the severity of risk for delay.

scholarly journals Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Child-Directed Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 2002-2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos R. Benítez-Barrera ◽  
Emily C. Thompson ◽  
Gina P. Angley ◽  
Tiffany Woynaroski ◽  
Anne Marie Tharpe
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Auditory Speech ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
System Use ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The impact of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the caregiver production of, and child access to, child-directed speech (CDS) in families with a young child with hearing loss was investigated. Method We drew upon extant data that were collected via Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recorders used with 9 families during 2 consecutive weekends (RMS weekend and no-RMS weekend). Audio recordings of primary caregivers and their children with hearing loss obtained while wearing and not wearing an RMS were manually coded to estimate the amount of CDS produced. The proportion of CDS that was likely accessible to children with hearing loss under both conditions was determined. Results Caregivers produced the same amount of CDS when using and when not using the RMS. However, it was concluded that children with hearing loss, on average, could potentially access 12% more CDS if caregivers used an RMS because of their distance from their children when talking to them. Conclusion Given our understanding of typical child language development, findings from this investigation suggest that children with hearing loss could receive auditory, speech, and language benefits from the use of an RMS in the home environment.

What Do We Want Them To Be When They Grow Up?

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31
Author(s):  
Lyn Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Language Therapy ◽  
Profound Hearing Loss ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Learning To Listen

Abstract Learning to listen and speak are well-established preludes for reading, writing, and succeeding in mainstream educational settings. Intangibles beyond the ubiquitous test scores that typically serve as markers for progress in children with hearing loss are embedded in descriptions of the educational and social development of four young women. All were diagnosed with severe-to-profound or profound hearing loss as toddlers, and all were fitted with hearing aids and given listening and spoken language therapy. Compiling stories across the life span provides insights into what we can be doing in the lives of young children with hearing loss.

Red Flags: Barriers to Listening and Spoken Language in Children with Hearing Loss

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Andrea Bell ◽  
K. Todd Houston
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Red Flags ◽  
Careful Monitoring ◽  
Auditory Development ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Family Centered

To ensure optimal auditory development for the acquisition of spoken language, children with hearing loss require early diagnosis, effective ongoing audiological management, well fit and maintained hearing technology, and appropriate family-centered early intervention. When these elements are in place, children with hearing loss can achieve developmental and communicative outcomes that are comparable to their hearing peers. However, for these outcomes to occur, clinicians—early interventionists, speech-language pathologists, and pediatric audiologists—must participate in a dynamic process that requires careful monitoring of countless variables that could impact the child's skill acquisition. This paper addresses some of these variables or “red flags,” which often are indicators of both minor and major issues that clinicians may encounter when delivering services to young children with hearing loss and their families.

scholarly journals Predictors of Early Reading Skill in 5-Year-Old Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Spoken Language

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Cupples ◽  
Teresa Y.C. Ching ◽  
Kathryn Crowe ◽  
Julia Day ◽  
Mark Seeto
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Reading ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

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.

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.

Does Access to Visual Input Inhibit Auditory Development for Children With Cochlear Implants? A Review of the Evidence

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 10-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jena McDaniel ◽  
Stephen Camarata
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Sensory Deprivation ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Visual Input ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Auditory Development ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Multisensory Input

Purpose We review the evidence for attenuating visual input during intervention to enhance auditory development and ultimately improve spoken language outcomes in children with cochlear implants. Background Isolating the auditory sense is a long-standing tradition in many approaches for teaching children with hearing loss. However, the evidence base for this practice is surprisingly limited and not straightforward. We review four bodies of evidence that inform whether or not visual input inhibits auditory development in children with cochlear implants: (a) audiovisual benefits for speech perception and understanding for individuals with typical hearing, (b) audiovisual integration development in children with typical hearing, (c) sensory deprivation and neural plasticity, and (d) audiovisual processing in individuals with hearing loss. Conclusions Although there is a compelling theoretical rationale for reducing visual input to enhance auditory development, there is also a strong theoretical argument supporting simultaneous multisensory auditory and visual input to potentially enhance outcomes in children with hearing loss. Despite widespread and long-standing practice recommendations to limit visual input, there is a paucity of evidence supporting this recommendation and no evidence that simultaneous multisensory input is deleterious to children with cochlear implants. These findings have important implications for optimizing spoken language outcomes in children with cochlear implants.

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