The Auditory Perception of Consonant Contrasts in Cochlear Implant Children

Abstract

Background and ObjectivesA major part of speech perception is based on understanding and distinguishing between vocal cues in the speaker's speech. Consonants and vowels are vocal cues that can be affected by hearing impairment and their perception may thus be reduced or distorted. The present study aims to investigate the auditory perception of consonant contrasts in cochlear implant children. Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 24 cochlear implant children aged 9-13 selected through convenience sampling from schools and cochlear implant centers. A test of non-word pairs based on a study conducted by Khavar-Ghazlani was carried out to measure contrast in consonants, place of and manner of articulation and voicing. Results The results of the test showed that cochlear implant children scored lower in the perception of voicing compared to the other two features. No significant differences were observed between their perceptions of place of articulation and manner of articulation. Conclusion Cochlear implant children appear to have a poorer perception of voicing contrast compared to the other features, which may be due to the greater reliance of this feature on auditory signs.