Word- and segment-level nasalance patterns in Greek-learning children with and without cochlear implants

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Audiology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Cochlear implantation (CI) can lead to persistent variability in oral-nasal balance in children with hearing loss.
• Understanding speech production in pediatric CI users is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nasalance and duration patterns in Greek-speaking children with CIs compared to normal-hearing peers.
• To explore potential compensatory strategies like prenasalization in CI users.

Main Methods:

• Assessed nasalance and duration in 23 Greek-speaking children (13 CI, 10 NH) producing words with initial stops and nasals.
• Utilized Mann-Whitney U tests for group comparisons and Spearman correlations for age effects.

Main Results:

• CI users exhibited significantly longer speech durations compared to NH children.
• Elevated nasalance was observed in CI users, particularly for words with /b/ and /d/, suggesting prenasalization.
• Increased token-to-token variability in both nasalance and duration was found in the CI group.

Conclusions:

• Prenasalization may serve as a compensatory mechanism for producing voiced stops in Greek-speaking children with CIs.
• Significant individual variability in speech production highlights the need for personalized assessment and therapy in pediatric CI users.