Lexical-semantic organization at measured by repeated word association in children with hearing loss

Abstract

Vocabulary knowledge drives academic and social success. Current literature suggests that children with hearing loss have poorer vocabulary organization in comparison to their peers with normal hearing. The current study aimed to evaluate and compare the development of lexical storage and organization. Children fell into two groups based on age: children at age five and children in first grade. Participants were also divided based on hearing status (normal hearing, hearing aid users, or cochlear implant users). Participants were asked to complete a repeated word association task, as outlined by Sheng and McGregor (2010). The findings suggest that the proposed organizational shifts are not fully captured at the first-grade level by the repeated word association task. The present data show trends that may indicate shifts in children with normal hearing and in children with hearing loss between age five and after first grade level and provides a starting point for additional study.