Visual sequential processing and language ability in children who are deaf or hard of hearing

• Main Authors: Conway, C.M (Author), Deocampo, J.A (Author), Gremp, M.A (Author), Walk, A.M (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2019
• Subjects: attention; Attention; attention deficit disorder; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; child; Child; Child, Preschool; comorbidity; Comorbidity; Deafness; developmental language disorder; female; Female; hearing aid; Hearing Aids; hearing impaired person; hearing impairment; human; Humans; language development; Language Development Disorders; learning cognition; male; Male; memory; Mental Recall; pathophysiology; pattern recognition; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Persons With Hearing Impairments; preschool child; psychology; recall; semantics; Semantics; sequence learning; Serial Learning; verbal learning; Verbal Learning; visual processes
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 This study investigated the role of sequential processing in spoken language outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), ages 5;3-11;4, by comparing them to children with typical hearing (TH), ages 6;3-9;7, on sequential learning and memory tasks involving easily nameable and difficult-To-name visual stimuli. Children who are DHH performed more poorly on easily nameable sequencing tasks, which positively predicted receptive vocabulary scores. Results suggest sequential learning and memory may underlie delayed language skills of many children who are DHH. Implications for language development in children who are DHH are discussed. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019.