Structured assessment of nonverbal communication skills in children with

hearing loss Tina M. Grieco-Calub, Erin Ingvalson,

Nancy Young, Patrick Wong

@ Northwestern University

Our research question

What tools are children using to learn their spoken native language following activation?

What is joint attention?

The capacity to engage in coordinated social interaction by:

* sharing attention * following the attention of others * directing the attention of others

Emerges in the first 6 months of life à aspects of joint attention predict language abilities in young childhood (Mundy & Gomes, 1998; Tomasello & Todd, 1983)

Children with hearing loss

Spontaneous free play, mother-child dyads Hearing mothers of deaf infants are less successful at establishing joint attention than hearing mothers of hearing infants Hearing mothers of deaf infants are less responsive to their infants’ bids for joint attention than hearing mothers of hearing infants (Spencer, 1992) BUT.. Deaf infants of hearing mothers and hearing infants of hearing mothers did not differ in their ability to initiate joint attention (Spencer, 1992; Nowakowski, Tasker & Schmidt, 2009; Gale & Schick, 2009: Cejas, Barker, Quittner, & Niparko, 2014)

Experimental Design

Participants: Children with bilateral, severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss

12 mos, N=3 18 mos, N=4

Lurie Cochlear Implant Program Time of evaluation: Post-surgery, pre-activation

Mundy et al., 2003

EARLY SOCIAL COMMUNICATION SCALES

(ESCS)

0

50

100

12 mo 18 mo 0

50

100

12 mo 18 mo

Follows gaze/pointing Responds to requests

0 10 20 30 40 50

12 mo 18 mo

Uses gaze/gestures for JA

0 10 20 30 40 50

12 mo 18 mo

Tota

l # o

f ob

serv

atio

ns

Perc

ent c

orre

ct

Mundy et al., 2007

NH

HL

Results Uses gaze/gestures for requests

Summary

Thanks to.. Families Lurie Cochlear Implant Program Priyanka Thakrar, Mary Scheibel, Hillary Snyder, Katherine Castillo Valentin, Kelli Freeman Funding R01-DC008333 (PCW) Knowles Hearing Center of NU, School of Communication (TGC, PCW, NMY) Department of Surgery, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (NMY)

1.  Structured assessment of nonverbal communication is feasible in young children with hearing loss.

2.  12-month old children use more eye gaze to direct attention of others.

3.  12-months old children are less responsive to behavioral requests.