Novel Word Learning of Children with Hearing Impairment and Children with Typical Hearing

NOVEL WORD LEARNING OF CHILDREN WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND CHILDREN WITH TYPICAL HEARING By Matthew R. Clark Children with hearing impairment may be at risk for reading difficulty due, in part, to delayed vocabulary development. However, advances in amplification technology, most notably cochlear implant technology, make it possible for children with profound hearing loss to acquire oral language. This study asked if novel word learning differed between children with typical hearing and those with severe to profound hearing loss who either wore hearing aids or had cochlear implants. Children learned nonsense words as names for Beanie Babies during a play scenario and were later asked to identify and name each Beanie Baby using its correct nonsense word name. Results showed no significant difference in novel word learning between children with hearing impairment and those with typical hearing. Additionally, novel word learning strongly correlated to phonological working memory, spontaneous vocabulary measures, age of implantation, and length of speech and language therapy in children with hearing impairment. Fast Mapping and Hearing Impairment iii DEDICATION I am dedicating my work to my family. I want to thank my family for the support they have given me in every decision I have made for my future. Their profound support for my endeavors provided the encouragement to pursue my education and have great expectations of myself in everything I do. Fast Mapping and Hearing Impairment iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people I wish to acknowledge for completion of this project. First I would like to thank my family for the encouragement and support along the path of completing this project. Their interest in my work has given me added motivation in many endeavors. Second, I want to thank Dr. Mary Reynolds for her guidance and assistance throughout the duration of this project. Her dedication to helping me succeed in the field of Communication Disorders has been profound and has encouraged me to set no limits to my abilities as a researcher and clinician. I thank her for all the support I have received since I met her. Third, I would like to thank the members of my committee: Lisa Thomas, Susan Frank, and Karen McNealy for their advice and encouragement in pursuing this project. Fourth, I would like to thank all members of the Marshall University Communication Disorders – Community of Research Practitioners (MUCD-CORP) for their positive spirit and appreciation of student and professional research throughout the past year. Fifth, I would like to thank my fellow students for all the advice I have been given in completion of this project. You have made me feel welcome among not only Marshall University’s Communication Disorders program, but the field of speech-language pathology as a whole. Fast Mapping and Hearing Impairment v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................ii DEDICATION...............................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES..........................................................................................ix CHAPTER I....................................................................................................