Children can only develop spoken language through consistent exposure to the acoustic cues that comprise speech and language. Until recently, hearing levels from the clinical audiogram were the primary measure used to define typical hearing and the presence or degree of a child's hearing loss. While the clinical audiogram remains an important…

People with hearing loss (HL) often express a desire for the particular hearing device that will yield the best speech recognition. The problem with fulfilling that desire is that a vast number of hearing devices are available from which to choose. In recent years, medical device regulatory agencies have generally viewed hearing devices (i.e.,…

Sound levels and acoustic characteristic information was obtained in classrooms serving children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in grades K-2 in a variety of settings across the United States and Canada. Sound levels were easily measured using iPads, and acoustic characteristics were documented. Noise levels exceeded the American National…

This survey study describes rates of utilization of evidence-informed auditory-verbal strategies among 132 professionals (teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, early interventionists, and others) working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing who use listening and spoken language. Relationships between provider…

With the advent of newborn hearing screening and state-specific early hearing detection and intervention programs, early diagnosis of children with hearing loss should increase. These children need access to rehabilitation support, hearing amplification and speech therapy, and, if appropriate, evaluation for candidacy for a cochlear implant.…

The present study was aimed at conducting parental evaluations of the auditory-verbal therapy approach (AVT) and to assess the relevance of this approach for children with hearing loss and their families in Denmark. The children's social well-being was also investigated. Questionnaires were developed to evaluate parental perceptions of AVT. A…

Purpose: Basic concepts are the academic building blocks for preschool children in early education programs and are important for academic success and higher order thinking. Recommended strategies for teaching basic concepts include using positive examples, non-examples, highlighting critical features of concepts through continuous conversion,…

The objective of this study was to investigate the perceptual relevance of acoustic differences in vowels produced by 6 children between the ages of 9-13 years old with unilateral cochlear implants. Formant frequencies were estimated for 12 repetitions of vowels /hid/, /hed/, /haed/, /hud/, /hUd/, and /hAd/ produced by the children. The estimated…

This pilot study explores differences in oral narrative comprehension abilities between children with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss using hearing aids and their peers with typical hearing matched for age and gender. All children were between 3.5 and 5 years of age. Participants were read a patterned, illustrated storybook. Modified…

This study investigates consonant development in the spoken language of 269 children with hearing loss between 15 and 84 months of age. Children with mild, moderate, severe, and profound degrees of bilateral hearing loss, including those with cochlear implants, were evaluated. Speech samples from 885 different test sessions of 25-minute…

This study examined the parental and spousal self-efficacy (SE) of adults who are deaf and who are hard of hearing (d/hh) in relation to their speech intelligibility. Forty individuals with hearing loss completed self-report measures: Spousal SE in a relationship with a spouse who was hearing/deaf, parental SE to a child who was hearing/deaf, and…

A camp-based conference was designed through collaborative efforts as a replicable intervention for infants and young children newly identified with hearing loss and their families. The educational curriculum was designed to target families choosing listening and spoken language as a communication outcome for their child. One of the goals of this…

Interactive silences are important strategies that can be implemented by practitioners and parents of children with hearing loss who are learning a spoken language. Types of adult self-controlled pauses and evidence pertaining to the function of those pauses are discussed, followed by a review of advantages to justify implementation of these…

Analyzing the self-identities of students with hearing loss and the perceptions of their caregivers/parents assists in understanding of one another and facilitates students' self-advocacy development; however, disparate views of identity must be reconciled before addressing how to foster self-advocacy. Caregivers/parents must be receptive to how a…

The ihear[R] Internet Therapy Program (ihear) provides effective, individualized, and interactive therapy that is tailored to each child's specific needs through a secure, high-quality Internet connection. The program brings listening and spoken language services directly to schools and families. The foundation for ihear is based on the St. Joseph…