Purpose: The development of vocabulary size in deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children and adolescents can be delayed compared to their peers due to lack of access to early language input. Complementary ...vocabulary interventions are reported in the literature. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention methods for their vocabulary improvement. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed journal articles in English, published between 2000 and 2022 (inclusive), reporting vocabulary interventions for 2- to 18-year-old DHH children and adolescents without comorbidities. We conducted separate meta-analyses using a random-effects model on receptive oral vocabulary, expressive oral vocabulary, and signed vocabulary. We assessed the methodological quality of each paper. This review is preregistered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) with ID CRD42021243479. Results: We included 25 group studies in this review out of 1,724 identified records. The quality assessment of the studies revealed risk of bias ranging from some concerns to high risk. Experimental vocabulary instruction produced improvement in receptive oral vocabulary (Hedges's g = 1.08, 95% CI 0.25, 1.90, Isuperscript 2 = 93.46, p = .01), expressive oral vocabulary (Hedges's g = 1.00, 95% CI 0.18, 1.83, Isuperscript 2 = 96.37, p = .02), and signed vocabulary (Hedges's g = 1.88, 95% CI 1.09, 2.66, Isuperscript 2 = 96.01, p < .001) in the experimental groups. Written vocabulary and general vocabulary skills are also reported as a synthesis of results. Conclusions: Multisensory and multimodal explicit vocabulary instruction for DHH children and adolescents is helpful in improving vocabulary acquisition with respect to baseline levels. However, its effectiveness must be carefully interpreted due to the lack of proper control groups and details on "treatment as usual" reported in the studies.
Purpose: The use of sign-supported speech (SSS) in the education of deaf students has been recently discussed in relation to its usefulness with deaf children using cochlear implants. To clarify the ...benefits of SSS for comprehension, 2 eye-tracking experiments aimed to detect the extent to which signs are actively processed in this mode of communication. Method: Participants were 36 deaf adolescents, including cochlear implant users and native deaf signers. Experiment 1 attempted to shift observers' foveal attention to the linguistic source in SSS from which most information is extracted, lip movements or signs, by magnifying the face area, thus modifying lip movements perceptual accessibility (magnified condition), and by constraining the visual field to either the face or the sign through a moving window paradigm (gaze contingent condition). Experiment 2 aimed to explore the reliance on signs in SSS by occasionally producing a mismatch between sign and speech. Participants were required to concentrate upon the orally transmitted message. Results: In Experiment 1, analyses revealed a greater number of fixations toward the signs and a reduction in accuracy in the gaze contingent condition across all participants. Fixations toward signs were also increased in the magnified condition. In Experiment 2, results indicated less accuracy in the mismatching condition across all participants. Participants looked more at the sign when it was inconsistent with speech. Conclusions: All participants, even those with residual hearing, rely on signs when attending SSS, either peripherally or through overt attention, depending on the perceptual conditions.
Children with autism spectrum disorder may show delays in vocabulary development. Technology-based interventions could facilitate the teaching of different vocabulary skills; however, it is still not ...clear whether technology represents an added value.
The current review preregistered in PROSPERO evaluates the efficacy of technology-based interventions in vocabulary learning for children with autism spectrum disorder. We selected articles published in the period 2006-2022 from five databases.
The results identified two group studies, one within subject design, nine single-case studies and one randomized controlled design in participants aged 0-16 years who had used technological devices to learn vocabulary. Overall, five of the 13 studies showed positive results of using technology-assisted intervention, six described mixed results, one described negative result, and one described no differences in technology-assisted intervention. The studies are divided into the categories of efficacy of technology and comparison between technology and non-technology.
In summary, technology, such as tablets and computers, might be useful tools to improve vocabulary skills in certain children with ASD. However, the various degrees of impact found in the studies we reviewed indicate that personalized assessments, acknowledgment of previous experiences, and awareness of the context of usage are essential. The contrast with nontechnological approaches highlights the necessity for more detailed studies to pinpoint the precise conditions under which technology-based interventions can offer the most advantages.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier CRD42021238758.
Background
It has been established that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties understanding spoken language. Understanding reflexive and clitic pronouns is vital to ...establishing reference‐based inference, but it is as yet unclear whether such constructions pose specific difficulties for those with ASD. Pronoun interpretation seems be connected to the development of pragmatic abilities, and can therefore be considered a plausible marker in the differential diagnosis between ASD and developmental language disorder (DLD).
Aims
To establish whether or not there are differences between ASD and DLD in relation to their understanding of pronoun constructions (both reflexive and clitic). The working hypothesis was that although no differences were expected between groups in relation to automatic (online) pronoun processing, the comprehension of reflexive pronouns would constitute a diagnostic marker between the group with ASD and language disorder and the DLD group.
Methods & Procedures
The study carried out two experiments with three clinical groups (two with ASD and different levels of language proficiency and one with DLD) and two control groups with typically developing people (with equivalent language levels), analysing their on‐ and offline processing in pronoun resolution tasks. The first experiment uses an online method (eye‐tracking) to record pronoun processing in real time. The second uses an offline method to analyse comprehension accuracy.
Outcomes & Results
The results of the two experiments indicated no differences in the way in which the clinical and control groups resolved the tasks, but a shorter reaction time was observed only in the age‐matched control group in comparison with the ASD group without language disorder in the first experiment, perhaps due to the fact that processing pronouns involves a greater cognitive load among the latter group.
Conclusions & Implications
The comprehension of reflexive pronouns cannot be considered a diagnostic marker for distinguishing ASD from DLD.
What this paper adds
What is already known on the subject
Previous studies have found that the performance of children with ASD in the comprehension of personal pronouns is equivalent to youngest control groups, but poorer regarding the interpretation of reflective pronouns. However, children with DLD do not usually have problems with the use of pronouns, which suggests that their pronoun processing is not affected. As pronoun interpretation seems be connected to the development of pragmatic abilities, it could be considered a plausible marker in the differential diagnosis between ASD and DLD.
What this paper adds to existing knowledge
This paper presents the results of two experiments involving pronoun processing by those with ASD (both with and without language disorder) and those with DLD. The design enables us to analyse the reflexive and clitic pronoun processing in people with ASD and DLD, regardless of their language proficiency. One experiment uses an eye‐tracking methodology that allows us to obtain data about how the pronouns are processed in real time. It represents an attempt to identify language markers that may help distinguish between the two groups and adapt the interventions to the specific problems experienced by each one.
What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?
The results indicate that it is not possible to identify any specific impairment in pronoun processing among the clinical groups (ASD and DLD).
An eye tracking experiment explored the gaze behavior of deaf individuals when perceiving language in spoken and sign language only, and in sign-supported speech (SSS). Participants were deaf (
= 25) ...and hearing (
= 25) Spanish adolescents. Deaf students were prelingually profoundly deaf individuals with cochlear implants (CIs) used by age 5 or earlier, or prelingually profoundly deaf native signers with deaf parents. The effectiveness of SSS has rarely been tested within the same group of children for discourse-level comprehension. Here, video-recorded texts, including spatial descriptions, were alternately transmitted in spoken language, sign language and SSS. The capacity of these communicative systems to equalize comprehension in deaf participants with that of spoken language in hearing participants was tested. Within-group analyses of deaf participants tested if the bimodal linguistic input of SSS favored discourse comprehension compared to unimodal languages. Deaf participants with CIs achieved equal comprehension to hearing controls in all communicative systems while deaf native signers with no CIs achieved equal comprehension to hearing participants if tested in their native sign language. Comprehension of SSS was not increased compared to spoken language, even when spatial information was communicated. Eye movements of deaf and hearing participants were tracked and data of dwell times spent looking at the face or body area of the sign model were analyzed. Within-group analyses focused on differences between native and non-native signers. Dwell times of hearing participants were equally distributed across upper and lower areas of the face while deaf participants mainly looked at the mouth area; this could enable information to be obtained from mouthings in sign language and from lip-reading in SSS and spoken language. Few fixations were directed toward the signs, although these were more frequent when spatial language was transmitted. Both native and non-native signers looked mainly at the face when perceiving sign language, although non-native signers looked significantly more at the body than native signers. This distribution of gaze fixations suggested that deaf individuals - particularly native signers - mainly perceived signs through peripheral vision.
Background
Reading comprehension is a complex process influenced by many factors. However, the abilities that are known to influence reading comprehension may not contribute equally for children with ...different levels of oral language.
Aims
Here we examined the relationship of two factors known to influence reading comprehension (morphology and syntax) in a group of children who varied in their levels of oral vocabulary.
Method
Two hundred seventy‐three typically developing Spanish‐speaking fourth graders were assessed on non‐verbal intelligence, word and pseudoword reading, oral vocabulary, morphological awareness and syntax, along with reading comprehension ability. Standardised oral language scores within this group ranged from the first to the 99th percentile. Mediated multiple regression with moderation was used to assess (1) whether the influence of oral vocabulary on reading comprehension was mediated by decoding, morphology or syntax and (2) whether the effects of syntax on reading comprehension varied as a function of oral vocabulary levels.
Results
There was a direct positive relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension, and this was mediated by word reading and syntax, but not by pseudoword reading or morphology. Furthermore, the relation between syntax and reading comprehension was moderated by oral vocabulary such that the strength of this relationship diminished as oral vocabulary levels increased.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that longitudinal research is necessary to explore the possibility that a syntax intervention might be beneficial for readers with low oral vocabulary.
•International practitioner survey with over 4000 respondents.•Focus on parent/child interaction and Developmental Language Disorder.•Widespread adoption of parent/child interaction interventions ...evident across different professional groups.•Widespread involvement of fathers and other family members.•Some specific programmes named but detailed exploration of practice needed.
The relationship between parental input and child language development has had a complex history. It has become clear that indirect parent training for the parents of children with delayed language development is an important feature of interventions offered by speech and language therapists in the anglophone countries. Yet we know less about how this type of approach is realised in other countries.
In this paper we report the results of a survey of practice undertaken as part of the work of COST Action IS1406, a European Union (EU) funded research network. The focus of this paper is specifically on parent-related questions and responses referring to children under the age of twelve. The survey was devised by members of the Action and circulated electronically during the summer of 2017. In all, 4024 practitioners responded from 60 countries, the majority of whom came from EU member countries.
Respondents to the survey indicated that indirect therapy is commonly carried out via the parent in the early years and via teachers later. A range of professional groups, in addition to speech and language therapists, is likely to adopt this approach; including teachers, pedagogues and psychologists. A variety of interventions is reported, some of which have a reasonable evidence-base underpinning them. It is interesting to see the widespread involvement of fathers and other family members in interventions. Finally, the fact that practitioner characteristics (age, experience, location of practice etc.) are not related to the use of indirect techniques points to the universal recognition of the value of these approaches.
Despite the very different traditions in the practice of intervention across countries, there is clearly a widespread recognition of the importance of indirect approaches to intervention and specifically those focusing on parents. The mixture of family members being involved in interventions is a very promising indication of the role sharing commonly associated with the contemporary family. Yet the number of specific intervention approaches identified is relatively small given the number of respondents. There is a need for a better understanding of what exactly practitioners are doing when they involve parents in intervention or carry out parent-child interaction interventions and how well these interventions work in routine practice. This also has implications for the application of evidence-based practice and the precise nature of the interventions concerned (advice to parents, video interaction training etc.).
In recent decades there have been significant changes in the conceptualization of reading as well as in the perception of how this activity should be assessed. Interest in the analysis of reading ...processes has led to the emergence of new explanatory models based primarily on the contributions of cognitive psychology. In parallel, there have been notable advances in measurement procedures, especially in models based on Item Response Theory (IRT), as well as in the capacity and performance of specific software programs that allow data to be managed and analyzed. These changes have contributed significantly to the rise of testing procedures such as computerized adaptive tests (CATs), whose fundamental characteristic is that the sequence of items presented in the tests is adapted to the level of competence that the subject manifests. Likewise, the incorporation of elements of dynamic assessment (DA) as the prompts are gradually offered allows for obtaining information about the type and degree of support required to optimize the subject's performance. In this sense, the confluence of contributions from DA and CATs offers a new possibility for approaching the assessment of learning processes. In this article, we present a longitudinal research developed in two phases, through which a computerized dynamic adaptive assessment battery of reading processes (EDPL-BAI) was configured. The research frame involved 1,831 students (46% girls) from 13 public schools in three regions of Chile. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differential contribution on reading competence of dynamic scores obtained in a subsample composed of 324 (47% girls) students from third to sixth grade after the implementation of a set of adaptive dynamic tests of morpho-syntactic processes. The results achieved in the structural equation modeling indicate a good global fit. Individual relationships show a significant contribution of calibrated score that reflects estimated knowledge level on reading competence, as well as dynamic scores based on the assigned value of graduated prompts required by the students. These results showed significant predictive values on reading competence and incremental validity in relation to predictions made by static criterion tests.
Reading Habits of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults Rodríguez-Ortiz, Isabel R; Díaz-Acosta, Ana; Simpson, Ian C
American annals of the deaf (Washington, D.C. 1886),
01/2023, Volume:
167, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Few studies exist on the reading habits of the deaf population, and most of those that do were published more than 20 years ago. Hence, changes in reading habits due to the availability to the deaf ...population of online reading material and portable electronic devices have likely occurred. Additionally, in the hearing population, confinement causes changes in reading habits. We used an online questionnaire to compare the reading habits of 102 deaf and hard of hearing adult residents of Spain both before and during COVID-19 confinement. In general, more reading occurred during confinement, although not all participants showed this pattern: Regular readers read more during lockdown. Motivations for reading were largely unaffected by confinement. Furthermore, the time spent reading was not related to the availability of books at home: More was read in digital format during confinement.
Executive functions have both direct and indirect effects on reading comprehension. Previous studies have shown that people with hearing loss (HL) perform poorly on executive functions and reading ...comprehension tasks. This scoping review explored the current state of the literature relating executive function and reading comprehension in children and adolescents with cochlear implants. Searches were carried out in five databases to identify empirical studies related to executive functions, reading comprehension, and children and/or adolescents with cochlear implants. All results were analysed by peer-reviewers. A systematic search only found four studies in the field. We carried out our narrative review of these papers, with a focus on the mediating role of oral language on the relationship between executive functions and reading comprehension.
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