2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| When Average Isn't Enough: Morphemic Capacity in Toddlers With Hearing Loss
When Average Isn't Enough: Morphemic Capacity in Toddlers With Hearing Loss
At age 3, children who are typically developing are observed to have wide variability in expressive language (Novogrodsky et al., 2018). Because of that typical pattern of variability, the gap between “average” and the language skills of a child with hearing loss (HL) is often not yet large enough to qualify for the special-education category of hearing impairment, based on standardized assessment alone. As initial eligibility decisions are made at age 3, we need to ensure we are selecting valid, sensitive measures to make those first determinations beyond early intervention. The current study proposes to compare performance on a commonly used standardized language measure with a morphology composite obtained from conversational language sample analysis in 15 toddlers with HL using listening and spoken language and 15 toddlers with typical hearing (TH) ranging in age from 2;6 to 2;11. Independent sample t-tests will be used to analyze the standard score and morphemic conversational competence comparisons between groups. If wider variability of morpheme development in spontaneous language is observed in children with HL, alongside commensurate total language standard scores, this may serve to reinforce that children with HL need continued special education services at 3 years of age whether or not total language standard scores fall within the average range on a standardized measure. The current proposal may also provide support for the use of morphology composites as more sensitive expressive language measure when making initial eligibility decisions for children with HL at age 3.
- Learners will compare what is currently known about morphemic variability among preschoolers with typical hearing and children with hearing loss.
- Learners will explain the importance of selecting sensitive methods for assessing morphemic skills in children with hearing loss for the purposes of initial special education eligibility decisions prior to age 3.
- Learners will appraise the current study proposal which aims to provide support for more sensitive measures of morphemic development in children with hearing loss beyond current standardized language assessments, particularly for eligibility determinations during the preschool years.
Presentation:
3353554_14854KameronCarden.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Kameron Carden
(Primary Presenter), The University of Alabama, kcarden1@crimson.ua.edu;
Kameron Carden is a Speech-Language Pathologist/Listening and Spoken Language Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator pursuing her doctoral degree in early childhood special education at the University of Alabama. Kameron has taught in an oral preschool programs, served families through early intervention, and provided outreach services to deaf and hard of hearing students and their teachers in public schools throughout the state of Alabama for over a decade. Kameron holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a state license from the Alabama Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and a teaching certificate in Speech-Language Impairment from the Alabama State Department of Education, and a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist – Auditory-Verbal Educator certification through The Alexander Graham Bell Association. Her professional interests include parent coaching and morphosyntactic language development in children 2 through 5 years of age.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -