A New Method for Documenting Sign Language Productions in Schools.

Purpose: There are well-established guidelines for the recording, transcription, and analysis of spontaneous oral language samples by researchers, educators, and speech pathologists. In contrast, there is presently no consensus regarding methods for the written documentation of sign language samples. The Handshape Analysis Recording Tool (HART) is an innovative method for documenting and analyzing word level samples of signed languages in real time.

Australian families of deaf and hard of hearing children: Are they using sign?

Background: Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children may experience communication delays, irrespective of early intervention and technology. Australian Sign Language (Auslan) is one approach in early intervention to address language delays. Current prevalence of Auslan use among Australian families with DHH children is unknown.

Speech Perception and Language Outcomes for Infants Receiving Cochlear Implants Before or After 9 Months of Age: Use of Category-Based Aggregation of Data in an Unselected Pediatric Cohort.

Purpose This retrospective study aimed to amass large data sets to enable statistical comparisons of communication outcomes for infants receiving cochlear implants (CIs) before 9 months of age compared to groups who received their first CI between 9 months and 3.5 years of age. Method Speech perception scores and experienced clinicians' observations were used to refine the Categories of Auditory Performance Index (CAPI), thus creating its revised version, namely, the CAPI-Revised (CAPI-R).

Wearable Technology to Support Early Child Language Experiences: What's Important to Parents and Clinicians?

Emerging research evidence has demonstrated the potential for digital tools, such as automated language processing technology, to support parent-child interactions. Making use of digital tools can aid measurement of parent interaction metrics, additionally, providing contingent feedback to parents based on their language metrics can facilitate positive changes in their everyday input to their young children. Product innovation aside, there is a distinct lack of understanding about how best to integrate real-world, user design needs and preferences to improve deployment of technologies into routine clinical interventions.

Speech Perception Outcomes for Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients Using a Lateral Wall or Perimodiolar Array.

Aim: To assess the speech perception outcomes of adult CI recipients with significant preimplant low frequency hearing, examining differences between perimodiolar and lateral wall electrode placement in order to provide clinical guidance for clinicians and surgeons.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was undertaken identifying all adults who received a thin straight electrode array (TSEA) at the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital (RVEEH) from 2010 to 2015 and who had a preimplant low frequency pure tone median ≤70 dB HL (n = 63). A retrospective review was completed of the RVEEH database to identify a comparison group who had been implanted with a perimodiolar electrode array, comprising adults implanted between 2004 and 2011 (PM Group) with preimplant hearing equivalent to the TSEA group (n = 70).

Talking to Toddlers: Drawing on Mothers' Perceptions of Using Wearable and Mobile Technology in the Home.

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.

What Can Long-Term Attendance at Programming Appointments Tell Us About Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients?

Objective: This study sought to understand factors linked to long-term engagement with available post-implant "mapping" review services for individuals who received cochlear implants (CI)(s) as children.

Study Design: Demographics, communication outcomes, and appointment attendance records from an unselected group of 400 participants who received CI(s) between 1985 and 2009 were analyzed.

Results: After 5 years post-implant, 85.

Evidence-based guidelines for recommending cochlear implantation for young children: Audiological criteria and optimizing age at implantation.

Objective: Establish up-to-date evidence-based guidelines for recommending cochlear implantation for young children.

Design: Speech perception results for early-implanted children were compared to children using traditional amplification. Equivalent pure-tone average (PTA) hearing loss for cochlear implant (CI) users was established.

Barriers to early cochlear implantation.

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).

Long-term Communication Outcomes for Children Receiving Cochlear Implants Younger Than 12 Months: A Multicenter Study.

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 centers.

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 mo, those with progressive hearing loss and those with mild/moderate/severe additional cognitive delay/disability).

Language outcomes for children with cochlear implants enrolled in different communication programs.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to (a) compare language outcomes in pediatric cochlear implant users enrolled in three different communication programs: sign and spoken language, auditory-oral, and auditory-verbal therapy, and (b) examine factors influencing language outcomes.

Methods: Post-implant standard scores on language assessments of receptive vocabulary, auditory comprehension, and expressive communication were collected from files of 42 children with prelingual hearing loss who were implanted by 3;6 years of age. Early intervention history, device details, and demographic information were obtained for each child.

Communication development in children who receive a cochlear implant by 12 months of age.

Objective: Describe the long-term benefits of early cochlear implantation. Provide a comprehensive description of outcomes, including: language, speech production, and speech perception. Compare the communication outcomes for the early implanted children to those of normally hearing children and children who received a cochlear implant at a comparatively older age.

Communication outcomes for groups of children using cochlear implants enrolled in auditory-verbal, aural-oral, and bilingual-bicultural early intervention programs.

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.

Evidence-based approach for making cochlear implant recommendations for infants with residual hearing.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop guidelines, based on the unaided pure-tone audiogram, for recommending a cochlear implant (CI) for infants and young children with residual hearing. As awareness of the benefits of early implantation increases and age at diagnosis decreases, an increasing number of infants are presenting for consideration of implantation with significant residual hearing in one or both ears. Determining the likelihood that these infants will have an improved speech and language outcome if they receive a CI is a challenge.

Cochlear implants in forty-eight children with cochlear and/or vestibular abnormality.

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.

Speech perception in children using cochlear implants: prediction of long-term outcomes.

A group of 102 children using the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant were assessed for open-set speech perception abilities at six-monthly intervals following implant surgery. The group included a wide range of ages, types of hearing loss, ages at onset of hearing loss, experience with implant use and communication modes. Multivariate analysis indicated that a shorter duration of profound hearing loss, later onset of profound hearing loss, exclusively oral/aural communication and greater experience with the implant were associated with better open-set speech perception.

Communication development in children who receive the cochlear implant younger than 12 months: risks versus benefits.

Background: The advent of universal neonatal hearing screening in some countries and the availability of screening programs for at-risk infants in other countries has facilitated earlier referral, diagnosis, and intervention for infants with hearing loss. Improvements in device technology, two decades of pediatric clinical experience, a growing recognition of the efficacy of cochlear implants for young children, and the recent change in the U.S.

Cochlear implants for children with significant residual hearing.

Background: Previous research suggests that children with pure-tone averages of greater than 90 dB hearing level and/or open-set sentence perception of less than 30% may derive significant benefit from cochlear implantation.

Objective: To evaluate postoperative speech perception benefit and bilateral-bimodal benefit for 16 children whose preimplant speech perception scores exceeded conservative candidacy guidelines.

Study Design: Preimplant and postimplant repeated-measure design.

Speech perception outcomes in older children who use multichannel cochlear implants: older is not always poorer.

Speech perception outcomes for early-deafened children who undergo implantation as teenagers or young adults are generally reported to be poorer than results for young children. It is important to provide appropriate expectations when counseling adolescents and their families to help them make an informed choice regarding cochlear implant surgery. The considerable variation of results in this group makes this process more difficult.