Embodied Cognition in Prelingually Deaf Children with Cochlear Implants

Author(s):  
Irina Castellanos ◽  
David B. Pisoni ◽  
Chen Yu ◽  
Chi-hsin Chen ◽  
Derek M. Houston

The theory of embodiment postulates that cognition emerges from multisensory interactions of an agent with its environment and as a result of multiple overlapping and time-locked sensory-motor activities. In this chapter, we discuss the complex multisensory system that may underlie young children’s novel word learning, how embodied attention may provide new insights into language learning after prelingual hearing loss, and how embodied attention may underlie learning in the classroom. We present new behavioral data demonstrating the coordination of sensory-motor behaviors in groups of young children with prelingual hearing loss (deaf, early implanted children with cochlear implants and hard-of-hearing children with hearing aids) and without hearing loss (two control groups of peers matched for chronological and hearing age). Our preliminary findings suggest that individual differences and variability in language outcomes may be traced to children’s coordination of auditory, visual, and motor behaviors with a social partner.

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 722-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke M. Su ◽  
Jason S. Park ◽  
Dylan K. Chan

Objective This study aims to describe the effects of primary language and insurance status on care utilization among deaf or hard-of-hearing children under active otolaryngologic and audiologic care. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis. Setting Multidisciplinary hearing loss clinic at a tertiary center. Subjects and Methods Demographics, hearing loss data, and validated survey responses were collected from 206 patients aged 0 to 19 years. Two-sided t tests and χ2 tests were used to obtain descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing. Results Of the sample, 52.4% spoke primarily English at home. Non-English-speaking children and families were less likely to receive psychiatric counseling (12.2% vs 35.2% in the English group, P < .001) and reported more difficulty obtaining educational interventions ( P = .016), and 68.9% had public insurance. Parents of publicly insured children were less likely to know the type or degree of their child’s hearing loss (56.9% vs 75.4%, P = .022), and these children were older on presentation to the clinic (8.5 vs 6.5 years of age, P = .01) compared to privately insured children. Publicly insured children were less likely to receive cochlear implants ( P = .046) and reported increased difficulty obtaining hearing aids ( P = .047). While all patients reported impairment in hearing-related quality of life, publicly insured children aged 2 to 7 years were more likely to perform below minimum thresholds on measures of auditory/oral functioning. Conclusion Even when under active care, deaf or hard-of-hearing children from families who do not speak English at home or with public insurance face more difficulty obtaining educational services, cochlear implants, and hearing aids. These findings represent significant disparities in access to necessary interventions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung Thai-Van ◽  
Evelyne Veuillet ◽  
Arnaud Norena ◽  
Jeanne Guiraud ◽  
Lionel Collet

Author(s):  
Juyong Chung

A number of studies have demonstrated a significant association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and cognitive decline. However their relationship is not clear. In this review, we focused on the etiological mechanisms between ARHL and cognitive decline to explain the nature of this relationship: 1) causal mechanisms (e.g., cognitive load hypothesis, cascade hypothesis); 2) common cause mechanisms (e.g., microvascular disease); 3) overdiagnosis or harbinger hypothesis. We conclude that no single mechanism is sufficient and hearing and cognition related to each other in several different ways. In addition, we reviewed the effectiveness of hearing intervention (e.g., hearing aids and cochlear implants) on cognition function, and the role of hearing aid use and cochlear implant depends on the relevant mechanism.


Author(s):  
Laurence Bruggeman ◽  
Julien Millasseau ◽  
Ivan Yuen ◽  
Katherine Demuth

Purpose Children with hearing loss (HL), including those with hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs), often have difficulties contrasting words like “ b each ” versus “ p each ” and “ do g ” versus “ do ck ” due to challenges producing systematic voicing contrasts. Even when acoustic contrasts are present, these may not be perceived as such by others. This can cause miscommunication, leading to poor self-esteem and social isolation. Acoustic evidence is therefore needed to determine if these children have established distinct voicing categories before entering school and if misperceptions are due to a lack of phonological representations or due to a still-maturing implementation system. The findings should help inform more effective early intervention. Method Participants included 14 children with HL (eight HA users, five CI users, and one bimodal) and 20 with normal hearing, all English-speaking preschoolers. In an elicited imitation task, they produced consonant–vowel–consonant minimal pair words that contrasted voicing in word-initial (onset) or word-final (coda) position at all three places of articulation (PoAs). Results Overall, children with HL showed acoustically distinct voicing categories for both onsets and codas at all three PoAs. Contrasts were less systematic for codas than for onsets, as also confirmed by adults' perceptual ratings. Conclusions Preschoolers with HL produce acoustic differences for voiced versus voiceless onsets and codas, indicating distinct phonological representations for both. Nonetheless, codas were less accurately perceived by adult raters, especially when produced by CI users. This suggests a protracted development of the phonetic implementation of codas, where CI users, in particular, may benefit from targeted intervention.


2005 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth M. Cohen ◽  
Robert F. Labadie ◽  
David S. Haynes

We report the results of a survey designed to investigate audiologic referral patterns of primary care physicians and, more specifically, their referral of patients for hearing aids and cochlear implants. Three hundred internal medicine and family medicine physicians were identified from a referral basin of a tertiary care center and chosen randomly to be faxed questionnaires concerning their views about patients with hearing loss, hearing loss screening and referral practices, and availability of local resources. Of the 260 physicians who received a questionnaire, 85 (32.7%) responded. Of their communities (60% of which had populations of fewer than 50,000), 82.4% had an otolaryngologist and 40% had access to an academic center. Although 97.6% of the responding physicians indicated that hearing loss affected patients’ quality of life, only 60% assessed patients for hearing loss. “Lack of time” and “more pressing issues” were the most common reasons given for not evaluating patients for hearing loss. Although 76 physicians (89.4%) said they were aware of cochlear implants, only 22 (25.9%) had referred patients for implant evaluation. Lack of referral most commonly resulted from uncertainties about “where to refer” and “which patients were potential candidates.” The results of this survey suggest that a large percentage of primary care physicians do not routinely test for hearing impairment in adults.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Castiglione ◽  
Alice Benatti ◽  
Carmelita Velardita ◽  
Diego Favaro ◽  
Elisa Padoan ◽  
...  

A growing interest in cognitive effects associated with speech and hearing processes is spreading throughout the scientific community essentially guided by evidence that central and peripheral hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline. For the present research, 125 participants older than 65 years of age (105 with hearing impairment and 20 with normal hearing) were enrolled, divided into 6 groups according to their degree of hearing loss and assessed to determine the effects of the treatment applied. Patients in our research program routinely undergo an extensive audiological and cognitive evaluation protocol providing results from the Digit Span test, Stroop color-word test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Geriatric Depression Scale, before and after rehabilitation. Data analysis was performed for a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of the outcomes for the different treatment groups. Each group demonstrated improvement after auditory rehabilitation or training on short- and long-term memory tasks, level of depression and cognitive status scores. Auditory rehabilitation by cochlear implants or hearing aids is effective also among older adults (median age of 74 years) with different degrees of hearing loss, and enables positive improvements in terms of social isolation, depression and cognitive performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 233121651771037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Wong ◽  
Teresa Y. C. Ching ◽  
Linda Cupples ◽  
Laura Button ◽  
Greg Leigh ◽  
...  

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