Issues in comparing the speechreading abilities of hearing-impaired and hearing 15 to 16 year-old pupils

Journal/Book: Brit J Educ Psychol. 1996; 66: St Andrews House, 48, Princess Rd, East, Leicester, Leics, England LE1 7DR. British Psychological Soc. 357-365.

Abstract: The speechreading skills of 57 hearing-impaired 15 to 16-year-olds were compared with a sample of 30 hearing pupils in the same school year. Previous comparative studies have included a complete population of hearing-impaired pupils or have been confined to those who are severely-profoundly deaf. In the present study only pupils who had sufficient verbal memory to be able to repeat up to six words in a sentence were included. The test stimuli consisted of two word lists, one from the AB isophonemic word lists and the other from the New Manchester Picture Test together with a sentence list from the Manchester Speechreading (Lipreading) Test. The hearing-impaired pupils were placed full time in mainstream units for the hearing impaired and special schools for the hearing impaired. The sample also contained a small group of five who were placed in schools for children with moderate learning difficulties. The hearing-impaired group scored significantly better than the hearing group in all of the lists. Intelligence factors assessed by the Raven's Standard progressive Matrices were not a major influence except for the MLD group. The superiority of the hearing-impaired sample is attributed to a greater need for speechreading and the practice derived from it. Evidence from this study supports the view that sufficient development in memory for spoken language needs to occur for a child to maximise speechreading skills.

Note: Article R Elphick, Univ Manchester, Sch Educ, Ctr Audiol Educ Deaf & Speech Pathol, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PI, Lancs, England

Keyword(s): SPEECH; INFANTS

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