The three authors of these SIG 9 articles discuss topics relevant to pediatric hearing and hearing loss. Though the topics are varied, they all point to the importance of continued research in listening, literacy, and paternal linguistic input for children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). In “The Utility of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills as a Literacy Screener for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing,” Burke, Cooper, and Werfel compare outcomes between children who are DHH and children with typical hearing (CTH) on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Eighth Edition assessment and the outcomes of children who are DHH on the DIBELS to other standardized literacy assessments. They discover that the DIBELS is an adequate measure to screen early literacy skills for children who are DHH. There are some aspects of reading that the DIBELS did not measure. The authors conclude that additional reading comprehension assessment is needed for children who are DHH. Brännström and colleagues investigate language background in dichotic listening their article, “The Influence of Language Background on Dichotic Listening in Primary School Children.” This study examines dichotic listening ability among children attending primary schools in two cities in southern Sweden with a high proportion of recent immigrants. In this study, 82 Swedish second and third graders aged 7–9 years with varying Swedish language exposure performed a dichotic listening task, under free recall and directed conditions. They also performed backward digit span as a measure of working memory and crosslinguistic nonword repetition, which is central for language learning. The authors conclude that test language exposure and knowledge do not seem to influence primary school children’s performance on dichotic digit tasks. It is related to working memory capacity and complex listening skills. Brock and Hampton present a study exploring facilitative language techniques (FLTs) that fathers of children who are DHH use in natural environments. “The Linguistic Input of Fathers of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing” study method uses the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) to collect full-day audio samples from 3 families with children who are DHH. The children’s ages are between 22–27 months. The authors coded the audio recordings for 10 FLTs and compare that data with the FLT use by mothers in the same samples. The conclusions point to fathers providing less linguistic input to their children who are DHH in natural environments with a more directive than responsive nature. The authors share discussion about clinical practice implications.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• compare literacy assessment outcomes of children who are hearing to children who are deaf and hard of hearing
• discuss contrasts between fathers’ and mothers’ linguistic input to children who are deaf and hard of hearing
• outline why it can be difficult to assess language exposure to a specific language in simultaneous bilingual children

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. The Utility of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills as a Literacy Screener for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing by Diana Burke, Ellie Cooper, and Krystal L. Werfel, published in SIG 9, Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
2. The Influence of Language Background on Dichotic Listening in Primary School Children by K. Jonas Brännström, Mary Rudner, Johanna Carlie, Ketty Andersson, Roger Johansson, Agneta Gulz, and Birgitta Sahlén, published in SIG 9, Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2023
3. The Linguistic Input of Fathers of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing by Aleah S. Brock and Claire E. Hampton, published in SIG 9, Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023