OTITIS MEDIA AND EARLY SPEECH DEVELOPMENT IN DAYCARE

中耳感染（慢性中耳炎，COM）的早期和广泛经验与幼儿的许多负面发育结果有关，包括轻度至中度听力损失，以及注意力、行为、语言发育和言语发育问题。 专门关注COM语音发展本质的研究不太丰富，结果仍然令人困惑和矛盾。拟议的研究的目的是描述COM儿童早期言语发展的性质及其与照顾者互动的关系。 据推测，负面结果的最早警告信号之一是出现非典型的言语模式，幼儿从牙牙学语到有意义的言语生产。 进一步假设，无法理解的语音是与照顾者的有问题的口头互动的前兆，并限制了儿童练习新学习的语音和发展成人样的声音系统的机会。提出了两项相关研究。 在研究1中，将在12、18、24、30和36个月大时纵向测量60名婴儿（约6个月大）进入日托中心的儿童的语言发育。 定量措施的语音生产和清晰度在这些儿童与COM将进行比较，以确定早期的语音状态介导后来的口头互动的儿童。 在研究2中，20名儿童的一个子集的语音样本，10 COM和10耳炎免费，将重复测量（每两周）从咿呀学语期间，通过建立系统的声音对应与成人音韵（约30个月）。 将从感知和声学角度分析样本，以揭示OM发作期间言语产生变化的任何细微差异。 研究结果将有助于识别个体差异的限度，并确定以下替代补偿途径在语音习得中的积极或消极影响。 该项目的研究结果将为建立中耳炎后遗症的新模型、识别有语言延迟或障碍风险的儿童以及设计专注于早期沟通干预的项目提供实证支持。

Early and extensive experience with middle ear infections (chronic otitis media, COM) has been linked to a number of negative developmental outcomes in young children including mild to moderate hearing losses, and problems with attention, behavior, language development and speech development. Studies specifically focusing on the nature of speech development with COM have been less abundant and results remain confusing and contradictory. The purpose of the proposed research is to describe the nature of early speech development in children with COM and its relationship to caregiver interactions. It is hypothesized that one of the earliest warning signs of negative outcomes is the emergence of atypical speech patterns as toddlers move from babbling to meaningful speech production. It is further hypothesized that unintelligible speech is a precursor of problematic verbal interactions with caregivers and limits a child's opportunities to practice newly learned speech sounds and develop an adult-like sound system. Two related studies are proposed. In Study 1, the speech development of 60 children who entered daycare as infants (approximately 6 months of age) will be measured longitudinally at ages 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age. Quantitative measures of speech production and intelligibility in those children with COM will be compared to those of otitis-free children to determine if early speech status mediates later verbal interactions. In Study 2, speech samples of a subset of 20 children, 10 with COM and 10 otitis-free, will be measured repeatedly (every two weeks) from the babbling period through the establishment of systematic sound correspondences with the adult phonology (about 30 months). Samples will be analyzed both perceptually and acoustically to reveal any subtle differences that characterize changes in speech production during episodes of OM. Results will assist in identifying the limits of individual variation and determining the positive or negative effects of following alternative compensatory routes in phonological acquisition. Findings from this project will provide empirical support for building new models of the sequelae of otitis media, identifying children at risk for speech delays or disorders, and the design of projects focusing on early communication intervention.