Early Language and Literacy Acquisition in Children with Hearing Loss

 描述(由申请人提供)：这一方案研究路线的长期目标是阐明早期口语、语音处理、正字法知识和正在发展口语的听力损失儿童的识字成绩之间的关系。这项翻译工作支持NIDCD的使命，即减轻听力损失等沟通障碍的负担，并将产生更好的方法来识别患有听力损失的学龄前儿童，这些儿童将来有语言和识字缺陷的风险。听力受损的儿童在识字结果上有很大的个体差异。听力受损的18岁青少年的阅读结果中位数只有三年级水平，但一些研究人员报告说，阅读水平在平均范围内。因此，迫切需要开发方法来确定哪些学龄前听力损失儿童在以后的听力缺陷方面存在风险，以便尽早开始干预。对于听力正常的儿童，早期的语言、语音和拼写技能在学龄前几年的过程中发展起来，是未来识字成就的中等到强烈的预测因素。听力损失儿童在获得这些早期语言、语音和正字法技能方面表现出困难；然而，每个早期语言、语音和正字法技能的发展轨迹和对听力损失儿童识字成绩的贡献尚不清楚。这项纵向研究的目的是：(A)确定听力损失儿童早期语言、语音和正字法技能的发展轨迹；(B)确定学龄前口头语言、语音处理和正字法技能对6岁听力损失儿童初始识字成就的独特贡献。本研究将提供更好的理解，了解早期语言、语音和正字法技能是如何发展和促进听力损失儿童的识字成就的。这些知识将对识别患有听力损失的学龄前儿童产生重大的长期影响，这些儿童在以后的口语和识字能力方面存在缺陷。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this programmatic line of research is to elucidate the relation of early oral language, phonological processing, and orthographic knowledge and literacy achievement for children with hearing loss who are developing spoken language. This translational work supports NIDCD's mission of reducing the burden of communication disorders such as hearing loss and will result in better methods of identifying preschool children with hearing loss who are at-risk for later language and literacy deficits. Children with hearing loss have wide individual variation in literacy outcomes. The median reading outcome for 18-year-olds with hearing loss is at only a third grade level, but some researchers report reading levels within the average range. Thus, there is a critical need to develop methods of identifying which children with hearing loss in the preschool years are at-risk for later deficits so intervention can be initiated as early as possible. For children with normal hearing, early language, phonological, and orthographic skills develop over the course of the preschool years and are moderate to strong predictors of later literacy achievement. Children with hearing loss exhibit difficulties in acquisition of each of these early language, phonological, and orthographic skills; however, the developmental trajectories and the contribution of each early language, phonological, and orthographic skill to literacy achievement for children with hearing loss are unknown. The aims of this longitudinal study are to (a) determine the developmental trajectories of early language, phonological, and orthographic skills for children with hearing loss across the preschool years and (b) determine the unique contributions of preschool oral language, phonological processing, and orthographic skills to initial literacy achievement in children with hearing loss at age 6. This study will provide a bettr understanding about how early language, phonological, and orthographic skills develop and contribute to literacy achievement in children with hearing loss. Such knowledge will have a significant long-term impact on identification of preschool children with hearing loss who are at-risk for later spoken language and literacy deficits.