SPOKEN LANGUAGE RESULTS - VOCABULARY, SYNTAX, AND COMMUNICATION

The acquisition of English vocabulary and syntax was compared over thr ee years for three matched sensory aid groups: cochlear implants (CI), tactile aids (TA), and hearing aids (HA). In addition, parent reports of auditory and speech skills exhibited outside the classroom environ ment were collected. The cochlear implant group exhibited faster acqui sition of all language and communication skills measured in this study . Their average performance, compared to the tactile aid and hearing a id groups, was significantly higher after 36 months of auditory-oral i nstruction in the areas of expressive vocabulary (re: hearing norms), receptive syntax (re: deaf norms), and everyday use of the sensory aid (by parent rating). The scores of children in the implant group by th e end of the study closely resembled those of profoundly hearing-impai red children who received spectral information from speech when using hearing aids (i.e., pure tone average thresholds of 90-100 dB HL).