Effect of grammar intervention on vocabulary skills in children with a cochlear implant: A single-subject study
A simple grammar-choice game lifted both sentence length and vocabulary for every preschooler with a cochlear implant.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five preschoolers with cochlear implants got a new grammar game. The game asked them to pick the right word to finish a sentence.
Each child played the game in short one-on-one sessions. The team watched grammar length and vocabulary size before, during, and after the game.
What they found
Every child used longer sentences and more different words after the game. The gains stayed when the kids were checked weeks later.
The grammar task acted like a two-for-one deal: fix sentence frames and new words came along for the ride.
How this fits with other research
Libero et al. (2016) warned that most children with cochlear implants stay behind in both grammar and vocabulary. Their data showed you need strong auditory memory before you can grow either skill.
Chen et al. (2017) gave hope: kids implanted before age three can catch up in vocabulary without extra training. The new study adds a twist: you can speed the catch-up by teaching grammar on purpose.
Whalon et al. (2019) used the same single-case style with autistic children and also saw language gains. The pattern says a tight grammar drill works across diagnoses when it is visual and repetitive.
Why it matters
You do not have to wait for perfect hearing skills. Slip a quick grammar choice task into your session today. One sentence frame at a time can grow both structure and word bank for preschoolers with cochlear implants.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Background: Previous studies have shown that children with cochlear implants have difficulty in grammar acquisition. Vocabulary acquisition and grammar abilities are important during language development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of grammar therapy on the lexical ability of cochlear implanted children. Methods: Five children with cochlear implants and grammatical problems were treated using a grammar task designed for the current study. Before and after the treatment, repeated evaluations were performed using the Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) and Persian Developmental Sentence Scoring (PDSS) indices for grammar and NDW and NTW indices for vocabulary abilities; these show the number of different words and the number of total words respectively. Results: Grammar intervention was successful in cochlear implanted children of the present study. In addition, treatment of grammatical problems increased the lexical ability of all children; NDW and NTW scores increased, which was confirmed by the effect size indices. In the follow-up phase, the cochlear implanted children were able to maintain the increase in NTW and NDW values. Conclusion: Improving grammar skills in cochlear implanted children also increased their lexical ability. Therefore, grammar therapy helps to increase the vocabulary of children too.
Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2021 · doi:10.47176/mjiri.35.126