# A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Phonetic and Phonological Development of Children with Cochlear Implants and Its Relationship with Early Literacy

## TL;DR

This study compares the speech and early reading skills of preschoolers with cochlear implants and those with normal hearing, finding delays in speech and literacy for implant users.

## Contribution

The study explores the relationship between phonetic/phonological skills, early literacy, and age at implantation in children with cochlear implants.

## Key findings

- Children with cochlear implants showed delays in phonetic and phonological production skills compared to their peers with normal hearing.
- Early literacy skills, such as syllable segmentation, were significantly lower in children with cochlear implants.
- Age at implantation was significantly correlated with phonetic inventory development in children with cochlear implants.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: During the transition to primary school, children with cochlear implants (CIs) may show language and early literacy fragilities. This study has three aims. First, it compares the phonetic and phonological skills of preschoolers with CIs and those with normal hearing (NH); second, it investigates the correlation between phonetic/phonological and emergent literacy skills in the two groups; third, it explores the relationship between phonetic/phonological skills and age at implantation in preschoolers with CIs. Methods: Sixteen children with CIs (Mage = 61 months; SD = 6.50) and twenty children with NH (Mage = 64 months; SD = 4.30) participated in the study. Phonetic and phonological skills (phonetic inventories and phonological processes) and early literacy skills (phonological awareness and print knowledge) were assessed. Group differences and relationships between the variables of interest were considered in the two groups. Results: A qualitative analysis of phonetic and phonological development showed differences between the two groups. There were also significant differences in early literacy skills (e.g., in syllable segmentation). Significant correlations emerged in both groups between phonetic/phonological skills and early literacy, although in different variables. Significant correlations were also found between age at implantation and the phonetic inventory in children with CIs. Conclusions: Preschoolers with CIs display more delays in the phonetic and phonological production skills and more emergent literacy fragilities than NH peers. However, print knowledge did not differ significantly between the groups. Early implantation supports the phonetic skills associated with subsequent literacy learning.