Vocal imitation between mothers and their children with cochlear implants

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Speech and Hearing Science
• Linguistics

Background:

• Language acquisition varies significantly in children with hearing loss.
• Understanding imitation provides insights into early communication development.
• Cochlear implants (CI) offer auditory input, but their impact on interactional imitation needs further study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate vocal and lexical imitation in mother-child dyads involving children with CIs.
• To compare imitation patterns between children with CIs and hearing peers matched by age or hearing experience.
• To determine how child hearing experience influences imitation in both children and mothers.

Main Methods:

• Audio-recorded spontaneous play interactions of 12 mother-child dyads with children using CIs (mean age 27.9 months, 12 months CI experience).
• Comparison with two control groups of hearing children matched by chronological age (n=12) or hearing experience (n=12).
• Analysis of vocalization and word imitation frequencies between communication partners.

Main Results:

• Mothers and children in all groups exhibited vocal and word imitation.
• Children with CIs and hearing-matched peers produced fewer word imitations than age-matched peers.
• Child vocalizations/words predicted maternal imitation, while maternal vocalizations predicted child vocal imitation.

Conclusions:

• Child hearing experience, alongside chronological age, is a crucial factor influencing imitation dynamics in mother-child interactions.
• Imitation patterns are affected by cochlear implant use and the duration of auditory experience.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay between hearing status and conversational turn-taking in early language development.