NEGATIVE INTRAORAL AIR PRESSURES OF DEAF-CHILDREN WITH COCHLEAR IMPLANTS - PHYSIOLOGY, PHONOLOGY, AND TREATMENT

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine deaf children 's use of negative intraoral air pressures (-P-o's) from a physiologic al and a phonological perspective, with the hope of gathering insight into the strategies these children use to produce speech. A secondary purpose was to compare the effectiveness of two methods of treating th ese deviant productions. Subjects were four profoundly deaf children, age 6:6-9:2, who used cochlear implants and had demonstrated persisten t use of -P-o's. P-o's were collected during production of CV syllable s with initial [p] and [b] and a variety of vowel contexts. Two of the children used - P-o's more often before low than high vowels. We sugg est that this vowel-based pattern may result when deaf children learn to lower their larynges in response to visible jaw lowering cues. Anot her child presented with a pattern of more frequent -P-o's before fron t than back vowels, suggesting that she may have expanded her pharynx anteriorly as she attempted to achieve an anterior tongue placement. T wo children also clearly used - P-o's more frequently for voiced than voiceless stops, possibly resulting from a tendency to use the degree rather than the timing of vocal fold adduction to distinguish voiceles s and voiced phonemes. Two of the children were enrolled in a single-s ubject multiple baseline study to compare the effectiveness of traditi onal articulation treatment and visual-feedback treatment. The child w ho was a far less proficient talker demonstrated rapid and sustained c hange, whereas tile better talker demonstrated minimal change with tre atment. This study provides evidence that (a) deaf children use speech production strategies quite unlike those of normally hearing children and (b) deviant speech behaviors of deaf children should be treated b efore they become part of functional phonological systems. This work h ighlights the need to consider the unique speech behaviors of deaf chi ldren, and their reliance on alternate feedback mechanisms, when devel oping assessment and treatment procedures.