Audiology and Speech Pathology - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableUnderstanding typical support practice for students who are deaf or hard of hearing: Perspectives from teachers of the deaf in Australia(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2020-11-11)While there is a growing level of demand for accountability and documentation of services provided to students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH), there is a paucity of evidence on the nature of such support; who (personnel), what (content), and how (delivery). This study describes Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) perspectives on current classroom student support practices across a range of contemporary service delivery models in Victoria, Australia. Maximum variation sampling was used to identify 10 Victorian ToDs; each completed a one-hour semi-structured interview, which focused on an interview topic guide associated with typical practice: pathways to teaching; role of the profession; professional development; role in the classroom; goal setting; professional identity; and one open-ended question regarding wishes for the future. Qualitative content analysis generated six categories from these interviews: scope of practice; content of teaching/support; goal setting; service delivery; communication; and accountability. Three recommendations to improve future service delivery for students who are DHH included: standardisation of goal setting/assessment tools; improved shared language between all student support personnel, students and parents; and implementation of agreed rubrics to determine frequency of service with consistent definitions of decision-making criteria for tiered service delivery.
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ItemTalking to Toddlers: Drawing on Mothers' Perceptions of Using Wearable and Mobile Technology in the Home(IOS PRESS, 2017)BACKGROUND: Mother-child interactions often give rise to opportunities for early language learning in the context of everyday life. Persuasive technology has the potential to influence maternal language behaviours in the home and promote mothers' active engagement in the development of their children's communication skills. AIM: This paper explored maternal perceptions regarding the use of a language tracking wearable (Language Environment Analysis; LENA) device and a parent education smartphone application in an 8-week trial with their young children. METHODS: Mother/child dyads were enrolled in a feasibility trial designed to obtain objective auditory and linguistic data from each child's naturalistic settings (Control Condition), provide feedback to mothers about their child's home language environment (LENA Feedback Condition), and to explore effectiveness of an app designed to promote meaningful parent/child interactions during daily routines (LENA Feedback and App Condition). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The majority of mothers (80%) who participated in the trial reported a preference for using the mobile app and/or LENA technology again. Maternal responses during this pilot informed the design of an ongoing, prospective language intervention study for parents and their young children with significant hearing loss.
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ItemCommunication Outcomes for Groups of Children Using Cochlear Implants Enrolled in Auditory-Verbal, Aural-Oral, and Bilingual-Bicultural Early Intervention Programs(LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2013-04)OBJECTIVE: The relative impact of early intervention approach on speech perception and language skills was examined in these 3 well-matched groups of children using cochlear implants. STUDY DESIGN: Eight children from an auditory verbal intervention program were identified. From a pediatric database, researchers blind to the outcome data, identified 23 children from auditory oral programs and 8 children from bilingual-bicultural programs with the same inclusion criteria and equivalent demographic factors. PATIENTS: All child participants were male, had congenital profound hearing loss (pure tone average >80 dBHL), no additional disabilities, were within the normal IQ range, were monolingual English speakers, had no unusual findings on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, and received hearing aids and cochlear implants at a similar age and before 4 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Open-set speech perception (consonant-nucleus-consonant [CNC] words and Bamford-Kowal-Bench [BKB] sentences) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) were administered. RESULTS: The mean age at cochlear implant was 1.7 years (range, 0.8-3.9; SD, 0.7), mean test age was 5.4 years (range, 2.5-10.1; SD, 1.7), and mean device experience was 3.7 years (range, 0.7-7.9; SD, 1.8). Results indicate mean CNC scores of 60%, 43%, and 24% and BKB scores of 77%, 77%, and 56% for the auditory-verbal (AV), aural-oral (AO), and bilingual-bicultural (BB) groups, respectively. The mean PPVT delay was 13, 19, and 26 months for AV, AO, and BB groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite equivalent child demographic characteristics at the outset of this study, by 3 years postimplant, there were significant differences in AV, AO, and BB groups. Results support consistent emphasis on oral/aural input to achieve optimum spoken communication outcomes for children using cochlear implants.
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ItemCochlear Implants in Forty-Eight Children with Cochlear and/or Vestibular Abnormality(KARGER, 2011)CT and MRI scans for 48 children with cochlear and/or vestibular abnormality were classified in decreasing severity; common cavity, Mondini plus enlarged vestibular aqueduct, Mondini dysplasia alone and enlarged vestibular aqueduct alone. No significant relationship between degree of cochlea abnormality and surgical issues (cerebrospinal fluid gusher, depth of insertion, number of electrodes) or speech perception/language outcomes was found. A significant relationship was observed between cerebrospinal fluid gusher and partial electrode insertion, fewer active electrodes and poorer sentence understanding. Optimum language outcomes were associated with younger age at implant.
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ItemLong term communication outcomes for children receiving cochlear implants younger than 12 months: A multi-centre study(Wolters Kluwer, 2017)Objective: Examine the influence of age at implant on speech perception, language and speech production outcomes in a large unselected paediatric cohort. Study Design: This study pools available assessment data (collected prospectively and entered into respective databases from 1990 to 2014) from three Australian centres. Patients: Children (N=403) with congenital bilateral severe to profound hearing loss who received cochlear implants under 6 years of age (excluding those with acquired onset of profound hearing loss after 12 months, those with progressive hearing loss and those with mild/moderate/severe additional cognitive delay/disability). Main Outcome Measure(s): Speech Perception; open-set words (scored for words and phonemes correct) and sentence understanding at school entry and late primary school time points. Language; PLS and PPVT standard score equivalents at school entry, CELF standard scores. Speech Production; DEAP percentage accuracy of vowels, consonants, phonemes-total and clusters and percentage word-intelligibility at school entry. Results: Regression analysis indicated a significant effect for age-at-implant for all outcome measures. Cognitive skills also accounted for significant variance in all outcome measures except open-set phoneme scores. ANOVA with Tukey pairwise comparisons examined group differences for children implanted younger than 12 months (Group 1), between 13 and 18 months (Group 2), between 19 and 24 months (Group 3), between 25 and 42 months (Group 4), and between 43 to 72 months (Group 5). Open-set speech perception scores for Groups 1, 2 and 3 were significantly higher than Groups 4 and 5. Language standard scores for Group 1 were significantly higher than Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5. Speech production outcomes for Group 1 were significantly higher than scores obtained for Groups 2, 3, and 4 combined. Cross tabulation and Chi-square tests supported the hypothesis that a greater percentage of Group 1 children (than Groups 2, 3, 4, or 5) demonstrated language performance within the normative range by school entry. Conclusions: Results support provision of cochlear implants younger than 12 months of age for children with severe to profound hearing loss to optimise speech perception and subsequent language acquisition and speech production accuracy.
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ItemBarriers to early cochlear implantation(TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2016)OBJECTIVE: Identify variables associated with paediatric access to cochlear implants (CIs). DESIGN: Part 1. Trends over time for age at CI surgery (N = 802) and age at hearing aid (HA) fitting (n = 487) were examined with regard to periods before, during, and after newborn hearing screening (NHS). Part 2. Demographic factors were explored for 417 children implanted under 3 years of age. Part 3. Pre-implant steps for the first 20 children to receive CIs under 12 months were examined. RESULTS: Part 1. Age at HA fitting and CI surgery reduced over time, and were associated with NHS implementation. Part 2. For children implanted under 3 years, earlier age at HA fitting and higher family socio-economic status were associated with earlier CI. Progressive hearing loss was associated with later CIs. Children with a Connexin 26 diagnosis received CIs earlier than children with a premature / low birth weight history. Part 3. The longest pre-CI steps were Step 1: Birth to diagnosis/identification of hearing loss (mean 16.43 weeks), and Step 11: MRI scans to implant surgery (mean 15.05 weeks) for the first 20 infants with CIs under 12 months. CONCLUSION: NHS implementation was associated with reductions in age at device intervention in this cohort.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableEarly intervention and communication development in children using cochlear implants: The impact of service delivery practices and family factors.( 2016-05-25)Proceedings of the Audiology Australia National Conference
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ItemBilateral cochlear implants in children(Georg Thieme Verlag KG, 2011-02-28)