I came across a very interesting article that falls right in line with what I have observed with my daughter. Here is the link to the study:
http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2010/feb22/grieco-calub.shtml
Briefly, it states that of the two year olds in the study, the ones with implants processed language slower than their hearing peers. I fully agree with that, and the recommendations in the article about how to help the kids with implants overcome the obstacle.
One thing I did not see was whether or not the kids with implants had one or two implants. I have seen my daughter's language processing time get better since she got her second implant. I am curious if having two implants would make a difference in the speech processing time in a study.
If you or your child has bilateral implants, have you noticed a difference in the speed at which understanding of speech takes place, compared to only having one implant?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
when you talk about language, can you specify which language you are talking about?
Sorry, I will clarify. This is a study of verbal language only. It compares verbal speech understanding in kids with implants compared to kids with normal hearing.
Please. "verbal" does not mean spoken language , it simply means words, word-concepts and the like. Written language, sign language and spoken language have verbal components.
I wondered if the toddlers being tested were bilingual or AVT-educated kids. At this age, learning two languages can cause a delay in mastering both, but the delay usually disappears when they become older. This is true of bilingual (i.e. Spanish-English) hearing kids also.
IF they had learned ASL, it would be a different ball game!
As you are seeing, there are many unanswered questions about this study. However, it does raise a valid point. It does take longer to process sound through an implant than it does through normal hearing.
I believe that this processing delay is independent of ASL, AVT, or any other outside influence. It simply takes the brain longer to make sense of sound with an implant.
I have seen it first hand. I compare it to trying to listen in noise, or listening to someone with a foreign accent. It takes longer to make sense of what you are hearing.
The point of the study is to minimize background noise, and take other steps to level the playing field, so the child with the implant has the support and the structure needed to succeed.
That does not change the facts that the study needs to clarify the specifics of the children tested. Do they have bilateral implants, do they use ASL, what methodology do they use? These are important things to know.
Post a Comment