An acoustic and auditory analysis of vocants in infants with cochlear implants

Abstract

Introduction

The duration of the nuclei is a crucial factor for the shift of prelexical to mature speech, since control of duration is closely related with improved speech intelligibility.

Objectives

This work records the suprasegmental feature of duration in infants with normal hearing (NH) compared to those with cochlear implants (CI) based on vocant productions (quasivowels and full vowels).

Materinals and Methods

In this longitudinal study, 102 vocant productions were analyzed from cases of congenitally hearing-impaired infants (implantation ages 1:4 and 1:11 years; post-implant ages 0:6 months and 1:3 years) who were matched with three NH infants of similar hearing experience (ages 0:8–0:11 months). Current methodology analyzes vocants using a combination of acoustical and auditory analyses. Vegetative data or reflexive sounds were excluded. Participants had had unknown deafness etiology and no other disabilities. Duration was measured using wideband spectrographic analysis, from voice onset to the loss of audible signal and the decrease of higher formant’s energy.

Results

The results showed that the mean vocant duration of young CI users was longer, compared to hearing matched peers during the first six months after cochlear implantation.

Conclusions

This recorded weakness for CI users' speech production is a challenge for future work in speech processing strategies. This is the first study measuring production of vocants during the pre-linguistic stage in CI recipients.

Keywords:

• Vocant
• quasivowels
• duration
• suprasegmental features
• speech production
• cochlear implants
• spectrogram

Acknowledgements

The authors warmly thank all families that participated in the research. We also thank the University Hospital of AHEPA in Thessaloniki, Greece. Our special thanks go to the ENT Clinic for their continuous support and participation in this study. The authors wish to thank Dr. Emmanuela Terlektsi, Lecturer at the University of Birmingham for proof reading the paper and her valuable opinion of this manuscript and Associate Prof. Maria Kambanaros, Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in Cyprus University of Technology for proofreading the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paris Binos

Dr. Paris Binos, MA MS SLT is a Special Teaching Staff and Clinical Supervisor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in Cyprus University of Technology. His research currently focuses on speech and language development of young recipients with Cochlear Implants, brain building through auditory-verbal approach, speech science and language disorders.

Chryssoula Thodi

Dr. Chryssoula Thodi is Associate Professor of Audiology of the Speech Therapy and Graduate Speech Pathology Programs at European University Cyprus. Her clinical work concentrates on diagnosis and intervention of hearing and balance disorders. Recent research includes research on hearing and cognition in adults, and extensive hearing screening programs in adults and preschool children.

Paris Vogazianos

Dr. Paris Vogazianos is an Assistant Professor of Methodology, Research and Statistics at the European University of Cyprus at the School of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and is also the coordinator of the PhD program at the Department of Social Sciences and Behavioural Sciences.

George Psillas

Dr George Psillas, M.D. is an Assistant Professor in Otolaryngology, 1st Academic ENT Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Jiannis Constantinidis

Dr. Jiannis Constantinidis, M.D., PH.D, Professor of Otolaryngology – Heand and Neck surgery, Medical School and Aristotle University Thessaloniki Head of the 1st Academic ENT Department, AHEPA Hospital.