Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
A phonological system at 2 years after cochlear implantation
Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
|November 19, 2011
Summary
This study examines the speech development of a child with a cochlear implant, finding a robust phonological system with sound inventories and syllable structures similar to hearing children.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Assessing phonological development in prelingually deafened children with cochlear implants is crucial for understanding speech acquisition.
- The Nucleus 22-Channel Multi-Electrode Cochlear Implant is a common device used to restore hearing in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the phonological system of a prelingually deafened child 2 years post-cochlear implant activation.
- To analyze the child's consonant and vowel inventories, syllable structure, and phonotactic constraints.
Main Methods:
- Elicitation of speech samples using a probe list of 23 familiar proper nouns.
- Stimulus materials included photographs of individuals whose names were on the probe list.
- Analysis of phonetic inventory, syllable structure, and phonotactic patterns.
Main Results:
- The child demonstrated a rich inventory of consonant and vowel segments.
- Syllable structure and phonotactic constraints were not rigidly applied.
- Observed speech patterns showed correspondences with those typical in children with normal hearing.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implantation facilitates the development of a comprehensive phonological system in prelingually deafened children.
- The developing speech system exhibits characteristics similar to those of typically developing children.
- Further research is warranted to explore long-term phonological outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
01:31Hearing
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
01:15Auditory Pathway
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
01:11The Auditory Ossicles
The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...