Klankontwikkeling van baby's met gehoorverlies

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gain insight in the vocal development of the current generation of Dutch children with hearing loss and to examine which factors affect the vocal development of these children. Therefore, the vocal development of a group of 28 children with mild to profound sensorineural hearing loss and of 31 children without hearing loss was monitored over a period of 12 months (age 6 to 18 months). The Infant Monitor of Vocal Production (IMP) was administered to parents every 3 months. In addition, every 3 months, parents reported about their child's hearing development (LittlEARS) and average use time per day of the hearing aids (adaptation of the Amplification in Daily Life Questionnaire). Moreover, data logging values of the hearing aids were obtained from the Audiology Centers. This study showed that the vocal development of children with hearing loss was delayed compared with the vocal development of their hearing peers at the age of 9 months. It was also found that a higher degree of hearing was associated with a delayed hearing development and therefore with a delayed vocal development. Children who wore their hearing aids more, had a better hearing development. At group level, children with hearing loss showed a delayed vocal development compared with children without hearing loss in the first year of life already. However, there were large individual differences, due to degree of hearing loss among other things, in the vocal development trajectories within the group of children with hearing loss. More research is needed to further determine which children with hearing loss are at greater risk of lagging behind in their vocal development.