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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Early lexical development in Finnish cochlear implant children during the first year after implantation' Track: 3 - Language Acquisition and Development Keyword(s): assessment, children, cochlear implant, hearing impairment, lexicon Learning Objectives: identify the important multimodal aspects in the assessment of early lexical development in children with cochlear implant(s), and discuss how the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory can be used to monitor early lexical development in CI children. Abstract: For young children with severe to profound hearing impairment (HI), language acquisition is one of the major challenges. Due to universal neonatal hearing screening, the average age of HI ascertainment has been lowered and children with moderate to profound HI are often fitted with hearing aids before 6 months of age. Early detection and positive outcome results after cochlear implantation have also lowered the age criterion of implantation for children with severe to profound HI. Moreover, bilateral cochlear implantation has become more common in recent years. Hence, language acquisition in children with hearing aids or (bilateral) implants is of interest to both professionals and parents. These changes in early detection and intervention of HI form the context of our nationwide multi-center prospective research project which focuses on speech perception and speech and language development in Finnish-speaking children with unilateral and/or bilateral cochlear implant(s) (CIs) and bilateral hearing aids. While further analyses are being conducted, the presentation will focus on the assessment and preliminary findings of early lexical development in CI children. To assess early lexical development in the children, the parents filled out the Finnish version of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (MCDI, Fenson et al., 1994; Lyytinen, 1999) before implantation, and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after activation. Since the communication mode of the hearing parents and their children with severe to profound HI varied from speech only to speech and signs (or even Finnish Sign Language), the Finnish MCDI was modified to include sign acquisition. Preliminary results imply that while initially children seem to understand and produce more signs than spoken words, they show an increase in the acquisition of spoken words after approximately 6 months of CI use. This study is financed by the Academy of Finland. Presentation: This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online. Handouts: Handout is not Available
PRESENTER(S) / AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION
Taina Välimaa - POC,Primary Presenter,Author University of Oulu      Credentials: PhD, Academy Research Fellow       Taina Välimaa, PhD, Adjunct Professor, certified SLT, is an Academy Research Fellow at the Child Language Research Center/Logopedics at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her main research interests include speech perception by adults with cochlear implant and speech perception and language development of children with cochlear implant(s) and children with hearing aids, quality of life of the children and their families after implantation, and bilingual speech and language acquisition and language impairment.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist. Sari Kunnari - Author University of Oulu      Credentials: Professor       Sari Kunnari, PhD, certified SLT, is a Professor of Logopedics and the leader of the Child Language Research Center/Logopedics at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her main research interests include phonological and morphological acquisition of language in typically developing mono- and bilingual children, children with specific language impairment and children with cochlear implants.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.