An in-depth, longitudinal study of the speech and
oral language development of eight infants with a
profound hearing loss is presented in this book. Each
infant received early auditory intervention focused
on developing their speech and oral language. Infants
were tracked for two years, during the period when
they changed from a hearing aid to a cochlear implant.
Despite a wide range of individual differences across
the group of infants, the results suggest some
general trends. The findings support and extend
previous studies which have demonstrated the benefits
of early intervention for communication development
in infants with hearing loss.
Factors affecting rates of development were
multifaceted and the findings capture the complexity
of early oral language development, which has been
lacking in previous studies of infants with
significant hearing loss, receiving a cochlear
implant. Results suggest that continued intensive
long-term intervention is required if the infants are
to attain typical oral speech and language
development. Results also provide support for
implantation before 12 months of age.
oral language development of eight infants with a
profound hearing loss is presented in this book. Each
infant received early auditory intervention focused
on developing their speech and oral language. Infants
were tracked for two years, during the period when
they changed from a hearing aid to a cochlear implant.
Despite a wide range of individual differences across
the group of infants, the results suggest some
general trends. The findings support and extend
previous studies which have demonstrated the benefits
of early intervention for communication development
in infants with hearing loss.
Factors affecting rates of development were
multifaceted and the findings capture the complexity
of early oral language development, which has been
lacking in previous studies of infants with
significant hearing loss, receiving a cochlear
implant. Results suggest that continued intensive
long-term intervention is required if the infants are
to attain typical oral speech and language
development. Results also provide support for
implantation before 12 months of age.