Auditory and verbal memory predictors of spoken language skills in children with cochlear implants.
Strong phoneme perception and auditory memory are gatekeepers for vocabulary and grammar growth in kids with cochlear implants.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Libero et al. (2016) tracked the kids with cochlear implants. All were 3-8 years old. The team gave tests for phoneme perception, auditory memory, and word closure.
They also tested each child’s vocabulary and grammar. Then they compared scores to hearing peers.
What they found
Most CI kids scored below age mates in both word learning and sentence rules. Only kids with strong phoneme perception and auditory memory kept up.
In short, if the child could not catch tiny sound differences or hold sounds in mind, language stayed slow.
How this fits with other research
Chen et al. (2017) seems to disagree. They saw CI toddlers implanted before age 3 catch up in vocabulary within one year. The key is age. Yuan studied Mandarin-speaking toddlers who just received implants. E et al. studied older, already-delayed children. Early implant beats later help.
Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) also found early input matters. Deaf kids exposed to Cued Speech before kindergarten read and spelled like hearing classmates by second grade. Both papers tell the same story: start sensory support early or language gaps harden.
Reichard et al. (2019) add a twist. Autistic children with low early verbal scores kept a small but steady vocabulary gap. Like E’s CI group, baseline language skill predicted later growth across diagnoses.
Why it matters
Check phoneme perception and auditory memory before you write big language goals. If either is weak, add auditory training and shorter memory drills first. Push for audiology tweaks or device maps sooner. Strong auditory building blocks let vocabulary and grammar programs work.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Large variability in individual spoken language outcomes remains a persistent finding in the group of children with cochlear implants (CIs), particularly in their grammatical development. AIMS: In the present study, we examined the extent of delay in lexical and morphosyntactic spoken language levels of children with CIs as compared to those of a normative sample of age-matched children with normal hearing. Furthermore, the predictive value of auditory and verbal memory factors in the spoken language performance of implanted children was analyzed. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Thirty-nine profoundly deaf children with CIs were assessed using a test battery including measures of lexical, grammatical, auditory and verbal memory tests. Furthermore, child-related demographic characteristics were taken into account. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The majority of the children with CIs did not reach age-equivalent lexical and morphosyntactic language skills. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that lexical spoken language performance in children with CIs was best predicted by age at testing, phoneme perception, and auditory word closure. The morphosyntactic language outcomes of the CI group were best predicted by lexicon, auditory word closure, and auditory memory for words. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitatively good speech perception skills appear to be crucial for lexical and grammatical development in children with CIs. Furthermore, strongly developed vocabulary skills and verbal memory abilities predict morphosyntactic language skills.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.06.019