Prelinguistic vocal development is "the process by which infants and toddlers produce increasingly more complex, phonetically diverse, and speech-like utterances before they say words on a regular basis" (Ertmer, 2005, p. 85). Research has shown that children with bilateral, moderate-to-profound hearing loss experience delays and deficits in vocal…

Cued speech is presented as a system of phonemes and mouthshapes which can supplement speechreading. Research findings are presented on cue reception, cue comprehension, and development of sensory aids for cue presentation. Also discussed are research needs, and applications of cued speech for hearing-impaired speechreaders and for hearing…

An imitative test of speech pattern contrast perception was administered to profoundly deaf children using hearing aids (n=76) or cochlear implants (n=18). Implant users performed, on average, similarly to individuals with an 88 decibel hearing loss, indicating that implant use can provide auditory speech perception capacity similar to that of…

This article presents a framework for modifying traditional auditory therapy techniques to address the needs of hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants. Emphasis is on activities that encourage carry-over of skills from structured to unstructured settings resembling listening in a natural environment. (DB)

The article summarizes information on assistive devices (hearing aids, cochlear implants, tactile aids, visual aids) and rehabilitation procedures (auditory training, speechreading, cued speech, and speech production) to aid the auditory learning of the hearing impaired.(DB)

Natural language conversational samples were collected from hearing-impaired preschoolers who were either using cochlear implants, tactile aids, or hearing aids over a 33-month period. Children using cochlear implants increased their overall communicativeness, their breadth of functions, and their use of intelligible speech faster than other…

This paper describes changes in speech perception performance of deaf children using cochlear implants, tactile aids, or conventional hearing aids over a three-year period. Eleven of the 13 children with cochlear implants were able to identify words on the basis of auditory consonant cues. Significant lipreading enhancement was also achieved with…

This paper, discussing use of electrical stimulation by postlingually deafened adults to supplement speechreading, focuses on: information conveyed by vision, acoustic information needed to resolve visual confusions, basic psychophysical abilities of cochlear implant patients, auditory-alone and audiovisual perception by cochlear-implant patients,…

This paper describes components of the Nucleus 22 Channel Cochlear Implant System used with deaf children and adults. It discusses speech coding strategies, programming concepts, programming the device for children, trouble-shooting, and fitting an FM system to a speech processor. It reports data showing improved ability to use auditory…

This paper describes components of the Central Institute for the Deaf (Missouri) auditory learning program for children with assistive listening devices, including: (1) audiologic management of the sensory aids; (2) a device-specific curriculum, listing objectives in a developmental sequence; and (3) appropriate teaching activities for reaching…