J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Sep · PMID 40304708
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This qualitative study aimed to explore parents' perceptions regarding the communication of their school-aged child with cochlear implants (CIs) in various social contexts. To this end, the construct of "communicative pa...This qualitative study aimed to explore parents' perceptions regarding the communication of their school-aged child with cochlear implants (CIs) in various social contexts. To this end, the construct of "communicative participation" (World Health Organization (2001), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health) was broadly applied to the population of children with CIs. Nineteen parents participated in semi-structured interviews and described their perceptions and experiences regarding the communication of their child in social contexts. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed that overall, despite describing very positive outcomes with CIs, parents reported that their children do experience participation restrictions and activity limitations because of communication difficulties and/or environmental and social barriers. The findings from this study unveiled the communication difficulties of school-aged children with CIs, as experienced by their parents. These difficulties-which may seem subtle-can significantly impact the participation in communication. Language interventions could be improved to better support pupils who are experienced CI users.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Sep · PMID 40304700
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Although previous studies have suggested that language deprivation may affect the development of executive functions (EFs), there are no assessment tools adapted to the language needs of deaf-and-hard-of-hearing (DHH) ch...Although previous studies have suggested that language deprivation may affect the development of executive functions (EFs), there are no assessment tools adapted to the language needs of deaf-and-hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. The present study had two objectives: (1) to examine the feasibility of the Executive Brain Battery in assessing 40 prelingually deaf-and-hard-of-hearing children between 6 and 12 years, and (2) to explore whether some sociodemographic and clinical variables could be associated with the performance of deaf children. The results showed that all tasks included in the Executive Brain Battery were practicable for more than 75% of participants, with the decision-making task being the only one that demonstrated an improvement in the performance of children between 6-8 and 9-12 years of age. Moreover, the 6-8 years group displayed a sex effect in inhibition and decision-making tasks. However, this effect disappears in the 9-12 years group, which showed only a negative effect of cochlear implants on the theory of mind task.
Dethmers N, Knoors H, Vissers C
… +2 more, van Gelder H, Hermans D
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Sep · PMID 40256894
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This paper reports upon an evaluation of a school-based screening program aimed at detecting psychological problems1 in 495 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. The first aim of the study was to evaluate the actual i...This paper reports upon an evaluation of a school-based screening program aimed at detecting psychological problems1 in 495 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. The first aim of the study was to evaluate the actual implementation of this program. Furthermore, the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing problems in a subset of 277 DHH students was analysed and subsequently how these problems vary as a function of age, gender, context, and negative life circumstances (NLCs). The results show higher prevalence rates of psychological problems compared to typical hearing peers, but lower than in previous studies. More problems were observed in the context of school than at home. No age or gender differences were found, but significantly more internalizing problems in DHH adolescents than externalizing problems. Prevalence of psychological problems among DHH students without NLCs were significantly lower than among students with one or more NLCs. The results shows a screening program to identify psychological problems in special schools can be successfully implemented. Such programs will help to identify psychological problems at an early stage and provide care for DHH children and adolescents with psychological problems.
For most deaf readers, learning to read is a challenging task. Visual word recognition is crucial during reading; however, little is known about the cognitive mechanism of Chinese deaf readers during visual word recognit...For most deaf readers, learning to read is a challenging task. Visual word recognition is crucial during reading; however, little is known about the cognitive mechanism of Chinese deaf readers during visual word recognition. In the present study, two experiments explored the activation of orthographic, phonological, and sign language representations during Chinese word recognition. Eye movements were recorded as participants read sentences containing orthographically similar words, homophones, sign language-related words, or unrelated words. All deaf readers showed shorter reading times for orthographically similar words compared to unrelated words. However, when the reading ability was controlled, the homophone advantage was observed only for deaf readers with more oral language experience, whereas the sign language advantage was observed only for deaf readers with more sign language experience. When language experience was controlled, in comparison to deaf readers with lower reading fluency levels, those with higher reading fluency levels had more stable orthographic and sign language representations. Deaf college readers with more oral language experience activate word meanings through orthographic and phonological representation, whereas deaf college readers with more sign language experience activate word meanings through orthographic and sign language representation, reflecting a unique cognitive mechanism, and reading ability moderates this process.
In this study, we present a basic General Service List for Chinese Sign Language (basic GSL for CSL) that is developed on the basis of a corpus of 103,061 sign tokens by examining their frequency, range ratio, and disper...In this study, we present a basic General Service List for Chinese Sign Language (basic GSL for CSL) that is developed on the basis of a corpus of 103,061 sign tokens by examining their frequency, range ratio, and dispersion. To test its reliability, we compared it to a frequency list in (Yuko, L. 2015. A Quantitative study of vocabulary in Shanghai Sign Language. Fudan University) and found a substantial overlap of lexical items and a positive correlation in their rank order. Focusing on the frequency information, we found that lexical richness of CSL is highly similar to that of other sign languages and is relatively modest compared with written English. The basic list consists of 902 sign types and has a coverage of about 77% of the sign tokens in the corpus. It provides (a) a valuable source of reference for compilation and further perfection of CSL dictionaries and (b) a useful guideline for CSL teaching and learning.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Jun · PMID 40126439
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Previous studies have found that deaf signers exhibited lower accuracy when recognizing emotional expressions from top-half faces compared to hearing non-signers. This suggests that the lack of emotional information from...Previous studies have found that deaf signers exhibited lower accuracy when recognizing emotional expressions from top-half faces compared to hearing non-signers. This suggests that the lack of emotional information from the oral region has a greater impact on deaf signers due to differences in their gaze patterns. The current study aimed to replicate and extend these findings by measuring recognition accuracy under varied facial conditions and analyzing late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that deaf signers would show reduced recognition accuracy and lower LPP amplitude compared to hearing non-signers in a top-half face condition. To test these hypotheses, 22 deaf signers and 37 hearing non-signers made emotion judgments of faces presented as intact wholes or isolated top or bottom halves, while event-related potentials were recorded. The results supported the main hypotheses, showing that the deaf signers exhibited lower recognition accuracy and reduced LPP amplitudes in the top-half face condition compared to hearing non-signers. These findings were discussed in terms of the challenges deaf signers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in contexts where facial masks obscured the mouth.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Jun · PMID 40126405
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This longitudinal study compares concept vocabulary knowledge of children with cochlear implants (n = 40) and children with hearing aids (n = 30) to that of their typical hearing peers (n = 40). Participants completed th...This longitudinal study compares concept vocabulary knowledge of children with cochlear implants (n = 40) and children with hearing aids (n = 30) to that of their typical hearing peers (n = 40). Participants completed the Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Expressive (BBCS:E) at ages 4 and 6. Results revealed significant differences in concept vocabulary knowledge between both groups of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and the typical hearing group. Although all groups improved BBCS:E test performance between ages 4 and 6, the rate of improvement in children who are DHH did not trend toward catching up over time. Omnibus expressive vocabulary outcomes predicted BBCS:E performance, but age of amplification did not. These preliminary data suggest persistence in concept vocabulary deficits in children who are DHH and developing spoken language, at least through entry into elementary school.
Interactions between deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and instructors in online distance education (ODE) increased exponentially during the COVID pandemic. To understand this phenomena, we conducted a comprehensiv...Interactions between deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and instructors in online distance education (ODE) increased exponentially during the COVID pandemic. To understand this phenomena, we conducted a comprehensive literature review about evolving ODE formats customized for deaf student's needs. This literature shows increasing multimodal, multilingual, and interactive features. Next, we examined empirical data from a collective case study implemented to better understand ODE phenomena from the perspectives of DHH students and faculty in higher education. We used 4 data collection strategies: (1) in-depth, semi-structured faculty interviews, (2) observations of teaching-learning interactions, (3) focus-groups featuring undergraduate and graduate DHH students, and (4) curriculum document analyses. We coded the dataset using MAXQDA software and uncovered 10 triangulated themes; 4 focus on instructors, 4 center students, and 2 describe student-faculty interactions. Overall, this qualitative analysis is a particularizing account of our participant's lifeworlds; however, we close with general recommendations for improving ODE practices through research.
The study aimed to explore spoken language and executive function (EF) characteristics in 3-5-year-old prelingually deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, and evaluate the impact of demographic variables and EF on spok...The study aimed to explore spoken language and executive function (EF) characteristics in 3-5-year-old prelingually deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, and evaluate the impact of demographic variables and EF on spoken language skills. 48 DHH children and 48 typically developing children who use auditory-oral communication were recruited. All participants underwent EF tests, including auditory working memory (WM), inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and the EF performance reported by parents. Using Mandarin Clinical Evaluation of Language for Preschoolers (MCELP), vocabulary comprehension, sentence comprehension, vocabulary naming, sentence structure imitation, and story narration were evaluated only in the DHH group, and their results were compared with the typical developmental level provided by MCELP. Results showed that DHH children exhibit deficiencies in different spoken language domains and EF components. While the spoken language skills of DHH children tend to improve as they age, a growing proportion of individuals fail to reach the typical developmental level. The spoken language ability in DHH children was positively correlated with age and EFs, and negatively correlated with aided hearing threshold, while auditory WM could positively predict their spoken language performance.
College-level deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and hearing students of English as a Second Language (L2) along with hearing native speakers (NS) of English were assessed in their knowledge of English resultative a...College-level deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and hearing students of English as a Second Language (L2) along with hearing native speakers (NS) of English were assessed in their knowledge of English resultative and depictive sentences. In "Kevin wiped the table clean," the resultative phrase "clean" indicates that the table became clean as a result of Kevin wiping it. In "Megan drove the car drunk," the depictive phrase "drunk" describes Megan's state throughout the entire event of driving. Findings of a sentence-acceptability rating scale task revealed higher performance by the NS group compared to the DHH and L2 groups, whose near-equivalent performance improved with increasing overall English proficiency. Participants exhibited higher performance on active, passive, and unaccusative resultative sentences than on ungrammatical unergative resultatives and higher performance on grammatical than ungrammatical depictive sentence types. These findings contribute new insights into the comparative study of English acquisition by DHH and L2 learners.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Mar · PMID 40111198
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This article investigates the narrative skills of children acquiring Finnish Sign Language (FinSL). Producing a narrative requires vocabulary, the ability to form sentences, and cognitive skills to construct actions in a...This article investigates the narrative skills of children acquiring Finnish Sign Language (FinSL). Producing a narrative requires vocabulary, the ability to form sentences, and cognitive skills to construct actions in a logical order for the recipient to understand the story. Research has shown that narrative skills are an excellent way of observing a child's language skills, for they reflect both grammatical language skills and the ability to use the language in situationally appropriate ways. This study was conducted using the FinSL Narrative Skills Production Test assessment to observe how narrative skills develop in children between the ages of 4 and 11 who acquire FinSL in their natural language environments. The results show that the narrative skills of children acquiring FinSL develop following the same guidelines found in other signed and spoken languages. Narrative structure and content increase with age.
In this study, 19 college-educated deaf adults with experience using interpreters in educational settings provided insights into how successfully various elements of classroom discourse were preserved through interpretat...In this study, 19 college-educated deaf adults with experience using interpreters in educational settings provided insights into how successfully various elements of classroom discourse were preserved through interpretation. The deaf adults, fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and experienced at using interpreters, watched educational interpreters' renditions of an elementary school art lesson, and answered questions, providing information about the clarity, completeness, and coherence of the message. Next, the deaf adults were asked to compare what they saw in the first interpretation of the lesson to what was conveyed in a second iteration by a highly experienced interpreter familiar with the lesson whose first language is ASL. A control group of 16 hearing adults accessing the lesson directly from the teacher answered the same questions. For the elements of classroom discourse studied-main ideas, project instructions, mental state references, and relevance strategies-results showed a substantial difference between what the hearing participants in the direct presentation condition received and what the deaf adults accessing the message through the educational interpreters received. Qualitative analyses of the differences-between the direct versus interpreted versions and between the deaf participants' responses to the two interpretations-revealed tendencies for, and ramifications of, alterations and omissions in classroom discourse.
Narrative language samples can be used to measure language development in children, but research on narrative development in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children is scarce, limiting knowledge of developmental stages a...Narrative language samples can be used to measure language development in children, but research on narrative development in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children is scarce, limiting knowledge of developmental stages and best practices for collection and analysis. This scoping review included 39 articles that explored recent methodologies and achievements in oral or signed narratives of DHH children, including comparisons with hearing peers and within-group analyses of early auditory experience, device use, and other measures. Articles featured DHH participants aged < 4 to 18 years, varying in device use, communication modalities, and educational settings. Most studies utilized story generation tasks with early elementary-aged children and analyzed either microstructure or macrostructure. Mixed results in comparisons with hearing children emphasized the need to consider individual differences (e.g., speech perception and age of spoken language access) in DHH narrative assessments. Findings also suggest that comparability across studies would be improved by more consistent terminology and procedures in narrative collection/analysis.
Evidence is lacking on the impact of bilingualism on the speech skills of children with cochlear implants (CIs). This study described the speech production of children with CIs acquiring French and one or more additional...Evidence is lacking on the impact of bilingualism on the speech skills of children with cochlear implants (CIs). This study described the speech production of children with CIs acquiring French and one or more additional spoken languages. Four groups of children aged 4-11 were included: bilinguals (n = 15) and monolinguals (n = 14) with CIs and bilinguals (n = 14) and monolinguals (n = 20) with typical hearing. Data were collected about the percentage of consonant correct (PCC) and vowel correct (PVC) produced in French and intelligibility in all languages they spoke. Bilingual and monolingual children with CIs had comparable speech accuracy in French, but the pattern differed, impacting PCC for bilinguals and PVC for monolinguals. Most children with CIs had accurate and intelligible speech in French, but few bilingual children with CIs were highly intelligible in their home language. Therefore, bilingualism did not impede the speech production outcomes of bilingual children with CIs in the language of the wider community.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ
· 2025 Mar · PMID 40111192
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Only about 1% of the children receiving special education services are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This group of children is highly heterogeneous with respect to a range of factors such as age of onset, degree of hear...Only about 1% of the children receiving special education services are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This group of children is highly heterogeneous with respect to a range of factors such as age of onset, degree of hearing loss, language and communication choices and access, and educational settings. Capturing the complex background of a DHH child is a critical component of an appropriate and accurate evaluation. A structured developmental history is the most effective way to ensure clinicians of all levels of experience are gathering comprehensive information relevant to a DHH child. However, to date, no such assessment focusing on factors specific to DHH children exists. The purpose of this article is to introduce a structured background information and developmental history form designed to gather comprehensive developmental and ecological information unique to DHH children.