Transcribing the speech of children with cochlear implants: clinical application of narrow phonetic transcriptions

The phonological systems of children with cochlear implants may include segment inventories that contain both target and nontarget speech sounds. These children may not consistently follow phonological rules of the target language. These issues present a challenge for the clinical speech-language pathologist who uses phonetic transcriptions to evaluate speech production skills and to develop a plan of care. The purposes of this tutorial are to (a) identify issues associated with phonetic transcriptions of the speech of children with cochlear implants and (b) discuss implications for assessment.

Narrow transcription data from an ongoing, longitudinal research study were catalogued and reviewed. Study participants had at least 5 years of cochlear implant experience and used spoken American English as a primary means of communication. In this tutorial, selected phonetic symbols and phonetic phenomena are reviewed.

A set of principles for phonetic transcriptions is proposed. Narrow phonetic transcriptions that include all segment possibilities in the International Phonetic Alphabet and extensions for disordered speech are needed to capture the subtleties of the speech of children with cochlear implants. Narrow transcriptions also may play a key role in planning treatment.