Aspects of Stop Consonant Production by Pediatric Users of Cochlear Implants

Abstract

Atypical speech by children with cochlear implants involves both articulation and phonological organization. Although children vary considerably, characteristic patterns emerge. An understanding of these patterns is useful for identifying areas of difficulty and formulating intervention programs.

Typical consonant cluster acquisition in auditory-verbal children with early-identified severe/profound hearing loss

“…The accuracy of the children ' s productions with respect to developmental expectations was not noted. While it is possible that some of the participants in Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 studies had typically-developing speech, it is also possible that some of the children were not using the full range of initial consonant clusters expected for their age. Factors that may have infl uenced fi ndings in both of Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 studies included participants with various ages of onset of HL (Range: 0 -2;1), various ages of cochlear implantation (Range: 1;4 -6;1), and various ages of assessment (Range: 6;4 -11;1 in 2002;6;4 -16;5 in 2007).…”

“…While it is possible that some of the participants in Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 studies had typically-developing speech, it is also possible that some of the children were not using the full range of initial consonant clusters expected for their age. Factors that may have infl uenced fi ndings in both of Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 studies included participants with various ages of onset of HL (Range: 0 -2;1), various ages of cochlear implantation (Range: 1;4 -6;1), and various ages of assessment (Range: 6;4 -11;1 in 2002;6;4 -16;5 in 2007). Finally, while Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 research focused on initial consonant clusters, little is known about the ability of children with early identifi ed severe/profound HL to produce fi nal consonant clusters.…”

“…Factors that may have infl uenced fi ndings in both of Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 studies included participants with various ages of onset of HL (Range: 0 -2;1), various ages of cochlear implantation (Range: 1;4 -6;1), and various ages of assessment (Range: 6;4 -11;1 in 2002;6;4 -16;5 in 2007). Finally, while Chin ' s (2002Chin ' s ( , 2007 research focused on initial consonant clusters, little is known about the ability of children with early identifi ed severe/profound HL to produce fi nal consonant clusters.…”

“…Word initial consonant cluster acquisition has been the focus of a small number of studies involving children with early diagnosed congenital profound HL who receive CIs prior to 5 years (Chin, 2002(Chin, , 2007. Chin (2002) studied initial consonant cluster production by 12 children who had used a CI for a minimum of 5 years and either used oral or total communication -a combination of oral and sign.…”

“…Chin (2002) studied initial consonant cluster production by 12 children who had used a CI for a minimum of 5 years and either used oral or total communication -a combination of oral and sign. Chin reported that all children had patterns of acquisition similar to typically-developing children with respect to production of word initial clusters, although at delayed chronological ages.…”