The aim of this project is to investigate why some children with permanent mild or moderate hearing loss (MMHL) have impaired language, while others do not. One factor that might account for poor language skills in this group is the way in which they process sounds. In this project, a series of experiments will examine the sound processing abilities of children with MMHL: To assess whether children with MMHL have deficits in processing sounds in the real world, performance will be assessed both while children are wearing their hearing aid(s), and while they are not. To assess whether poor performance is due to the extra effort required for them to listen, sound processing will also be measured using a task that does not require any active listening. To examine whether deficits in sound processing lead to language impairments in children with MMHL, performance on a wide range of language tests will be assessed. The results of this project will increase understanding about how deficits in sound processing might impact upon language development in children. Findings could be used by teachers, audiologists, and speech and language therapists to diagnose deficits in sound processing, and to develop interventions to overcome these.

Questionnaires and measurements. Obtained from 96 children and their families.