Identification of effective strategies to promote language in deaf children with cochlear implants

Abstract

Parental involvement and communication are essential for language development in young children. However, hearing parents of deaf children face challenges in providing language input to their children. This study utilized the largest national sample of deaf children receiving cochlear implants, with the aim of identifying effective facilitative language techniques. Ninety-three deaf children (≤ 2 years) were assessed at 6 implant centers prior to and for 3 years following implantation. All parent-child interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and coded at each assessment. Analyses using bivariate latent difference score modeling indicated that higher versus lower level strategies predicted growth in expressive language and word types predicted growth in receptive language over time. These effective, higher level strategies could be used in early intervention programs.

Figure 1

This figure shows the final bivariate latent difference score model used to test the change in FLTs and language for each assessment point over three years. SES was included as a covariate on initial scores and changes in those scores over time. Arrows in the model indicate that we tested the change process in both directions. It examined whether one variable predicted change in the other (e.g., Baseline FLTs predicting change in language at 12 month post-implantation. BL = baseline assessment (prior to cochlear implantation); Months = months post-implantation; LDS = latent difference score (change in variable); α = estimate to model straight-line growth; γ = estimate to model change process across time. These models were also tested for the effect of word types.

Figure 2

This figure shows the relation between number of different word types used by parents and improvements in receptive language raw scores over three years of cochlear implantation.

Figure 3

This figure shows the relation between higher-level facilitative language techniques (FLTs) and improvements in expressive language raw scores over three years of cochlear implantation.