ABSTRACT
Purpose:
to obtain and compare the percentage of correct consonants rate in deaf children, cochlear implant or hearing aids users within a twelve-month interval. Additionally, the influence of aspects, such as, frequency in therapy, age at hearing impairment identification and hearing device, were also investigated in the percentage of correct consonants (PCC) index.
Methods:
nineteen children with hearing impairment, hearing aids or cochlear implant and were in speech therapy participated in this research. The PCC index was calculated using three tests: naming, imitation and spontaneous speech, using the phonology tasks of ABFW’s - Child Language Test. The procedures were applied and reapplied within a 12-month interval, thus, characterizing a longitudinal study.
Results:
regarding the comparison of the PCC index, there was a statistically significant difference between the applications in all tests. An association of the average gain of percentage of correct consonants with frequency therapy was observed.
Conclusion:
the PCC index obtained and compared in two occasions, revealed improvement in all tasks after 12 months of speech therapy using aurioral approach. Improvement in oral production and frequency in therapy directly influenced the improvement of oral language development of these children. Improvement in oral language development of these children was directly influenced by compliance to the therapy. The age at hearing loss identification and the daily use of the devices did not influence the PCC indexes.
Keywords:
Hearing Loss; Auditory Perception; Child Development; Language Development; Cochlear Implants