Speech pattern audiometric assessment of hearing-impaired children

Abstract

A microprocessor-controlled speech pattern audiometer has been applied to study the long-term speech perceptual development of a group of hearing-impaired children. This technique makes use of high-quality synthetic speech to form minimal pairs of increasing acoustic complexity. The efficiency of the labeling tests is improved through the use of an interactive procedure. Individual children's development in the ability to process a range of increasingly complex contrasts has been assessed over a 3-year period. Development of perceptual ability is found to be similar to that of normally hearing children but delayed. The order of development is explainable in terms of the acoustic complexity of the stimuli. The primary use made of specific cues, such as the first formant in the labeling of the vowel contrast, and spectral rather than temporal cues in the labeling of the voicing contrast, is highlighted. The importance of intersubject differences in the development of perceptual abilities is also stressed.