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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ItemThe Effect of Cochlear Implants on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Initial Baseline and 18-Month Follow Up Results for a Prospective International Longitudinal Study(Frontiers Media, 2019-08-02)In older adults, hearing loss is independently associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline, and has been identified to be a modifiable risk factor for dementia. The mechanism underlying the cognitive decline associated with hearing loss is not understood, but it is known that the greater the hearing loss, the faster the rate of decline. It is unknown whether remediation of hearing loss with hearing devices can delay cognitive decline. This 5-year international longitudinal study is investigating the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in older people with severe-profound hearing loss, and whether remediation of hearing loss could delay the onset of cognitive impairment. This is the first study to examine the major primary risk factors associated with dementia in the same cohort. Participants were assessed before cochlear implantation and 18 months later using an identical battery including a visually presented cognitive assessment tool (Cogstate battery) that is highly sensitive to small changes in cognition and suitable for use with people with hearing loss. Hearing and speech perception ability were assessed in sound-treated conditions by an audiologist, and a range of questionnaire tools was administered to assess self-perceived ease of listening, quality of life, physical activity, diet, social and emotional loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression. A detailed medical health history was taken. Pre-operatively, despite the small initial sample size (n = 59), increased hearing loss and age predicted significantly poorer executive function and visual attention, while tertiary education predicted better executive function. Better self-reported quality of life was correlated with better visual learning performance, and engaging in frequent vigorous physical activity was correlated with poorer visual learning performance. At 18 months, for the first 20 participants, significant benefits of cochlear implants were seen in terms of speech perception, communication ability, and quality of life. Multiple linear regression modeling showed executive function improved significantly for non-tertiary educated males, while cognitive function remained stable for other participants. Further follow-up at 18 month intervals with a larger sample will reveal the effects of cochlear implant intervention on all outcomes, and whether this can delay cognitive decline.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableComponents of a rehabilitation programme for young children using the Multichannel cochlear implant(John Wiley & sons, Inc., 2006)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSpeech perception results for children with implants with different levels of preoperative residual hearing.( 1997-11)OBJECTIVE: Many reports have established that hearing-impaired children using the Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant may show both significant benefits to lipreading and significant scores on open-set words and sentences using electrical stimulation only. These findings have raised questions about whether severely or severely-to-profoundly deaf children should be candidates for cochlear implants. To study this question, postoperative results for implanted children with different levels of preoperative residual hearing were evaluated in terms of speech perception benefits. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A retrospective study of the first 117 children, sequentially, to undergo implantation in the Melbourne and Sydney Cochlear Implant Clinics was undertaken. All children had been assessed by and received their implants in a tertiary referral centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To assess aided residual hearing, the children were grouped into four categories of hearing on the basis of their aided residual hearing thresholds measured preoperatively. To assess benefits, the scores of children on standard speech perception tests were reviewed. As different tests were used for children with different ages and language skills, children were grouped into categories according to the level of postoperative speech perception benefit. RESULTS: The results showed that children in the higher categories of aided preoperative residual hearing showed significant scores on open-set word and sentence perception tests using the implant alone. For children in lower categories of aided residual hearing, results were variable within the groups. More than 90% of children with implants with aided residual hearing thresholds in the speech range above 1 kHz achieved open-set understanding of words and sentences. CONCLUSION: While the results of this preliminary study confirm previous findings of differential outcomes for children with different levels of preoperative residual hearing, they suggest that children with severe to profound hearing impairments should be considered for cochlear implantation.
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ItemSpoken Language Development in Oral Preschool Children With Permanent Childhood Deafness(OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2009)This article documented spoken language outcomes for preschool children with hearing loss and examined the relationships between language abilities and characteristics of children such as degree of hearing loss, cognitive abilities, age at entry to early intervention, and parent involvement in children's intervention programs. Participants were evaluated using a combination of the Child Development Inventory, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Preschool Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals depending on their age at the time of assessment. Maternal education, cognitive ability, and family involvement were also measured. Over half of the children who participated in this study had poor language outcomes overall. No significant differences were found in language outcomes on any of the measures for children who were diagnosed early and those diagnosed later. Multiple regression analyses showed that family participation, degree of hearing loss, and cognitive ability significantly predicted language outcomes and together accounted for almost 60% of the variance in scores. This article highlights the importance of family participation in intervention programs to enable children to achieve optimal language outcomes. Further work may clarify the effects of early diagnosis on language outcomes for preschool children.