A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Factors associated with nonword repetition skills in 4-to 6-year-old deaf and hard-of-hearing and typically hearing children
Authors: Kunnari, Sari; Välimaa, Taina; Tuohimaa, Krista; Hautala, Johanna; Tolonen, Anna-Kaisa; Rimmanen, Satu; Tennilä, Tanja; Tsupari, Teija; Vikman, Sari; Virokannas, Nonna; Aarnisalo, Antti A.; Dietz, Aarno; Hyvärinen, Antti; Laitakari, Jaakko; Mykkänen, Sari; Salonen, Jaakko; Sivonen, Ville; Löppönen, Heikki
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
Publishing place: PHILADELPHIA
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
Journal name in source: CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS
Journal acronym: CLIN LINGUIST PHONET
Number of pages: 18
ISSN: 0269-9206
eISSN: 1464-5076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2024.2390502
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2024.2390502
Children identified as deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) exhibit an increased risk of speech and language difficulties. Nonword repetition (NWR) is a potential tool for identifying language difficulties in children with limited experience with the target language. In this study, we explored associations between auditory, linguistic, demographic and cognitive factors and NWR performance in DHH children and their typically hearing (TH) peers. We also examined the effect of the group on NWR outcomes when different factors were statistically controlled for. Our study included 68 4- to 6-year-old children: 18 with bilateral hearing aids (BiHAs), 18 with bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs) and 32 with TH. The participants completed the Finnish Nonword Repetition Test comprising 24 test items with varying syllable lengths. The assessment methods also included tests of phonological, lexical, language comprehension and sentence repetition skills, along with a measure of nonverbal intelligence. The results showed that none of the auditory, linguistic, demographic and cognitive factors examined in the present study were correlated with NWR performance in the BiHA group, while significant correlations between NWR skills and linguistic abilities were observed in the BiCI group. The DHH children showed extraordinary difficulties in NWR compared to their TH peers, and these group differences remained after controlling for linguistic and demographic variables. The NWR task may be a potential clinical tool for identifying DHH children at risk for poor language outcomes and in need of speech and language intervention.
Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under Grant [311002].
