Abstract
This study set out to explore the cognitive and linguistic correlates of orthographic learning in a group of 32 deaf and hard of hearing children with cochlear implants, to better understand the factors that affect the development of fluent reading in these children. To date, the research about the mechanisms of reading fluency and orthographic learning in this population is scarce. The children were between 6:0 and 10:11 years of age and used oral language as their primary mode of communication. They were assessed on orthographic learning, reading fluency and a range of cognitive and linguistic skills including working memory measures, word retrieval and paired associate learning. The results were analyzed in a set of correlation analyses. In line with previous findings from children with typical hearing, orthographic learning was strongly correlated with phonological decoding, receptive vocabulary, phonological skills, verbal-verbal paired-associate learning and word retrieval. The results of this study suggest that orthographic learning in children with CI is strongly dependent on similar cognitive and linguistic skills as in typically hearing peers. Efforts should thus be made to support phonological decoding skill, vocabulary, and phonological skills in this population.
Highlights
Language, Cognition and Reading Skills in Deaf and Hard of Hearing ChildrenFor deaf and hard of hearing children who are fitted with cochlear implants, here referred to as children with CI, the auditory signal is degraded and has poorer frequency resolution compared to typical hearing (Pisoni et al, 2008; Brown and Bacon, 2010)
For deaf and hard of hearing children who are fitted with cochlear implants, here referred to as children with CI, the auditory signal is degraded and has poorer frequency resolution compared to typical hearing (Pisoni et al, 2008; Brown and Bacon, 2010)
Those children were implanted at between 7 and 16 months of age. They were all diagnosed with meningitis at 4+/−2 weeks before their age at implantation. These children were included in the current sample because they were deafened before 18 months of age, which denotes the start of a rapid development of vocabulary and they could be said to be prelingually deaf to a substantial extent
Summary
For deaf and hard of hearing children who are fitted with cochlear implants, here referred to as children with CI, the auditory signal is degraded and has poorer frequency resolution compared to typical hearing (Pisoni et al, 2008; Brown and Bacon, 2010). Their perception of the acoustic-phonetic details of language is poorer compared to that of individuals with typical hearing (TH) (Pisoni et al, 2008; Brown and Bacon, 2010; Hall and Bavelier, 2010). Similar findings of a relative drop in reading performance with increasing age has been reported for children with hearing loss who use traditional hearing aids (Marschark and Harris, 1996)
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