The acquisition of the prosodie word by children with hearing loss using a cochlear implant

The present study describes the development of the prosodie word in the speech of children with hearing loss who use a cochlear implant and are acquiring Hebrew language. The speech of 6 children, ages 1.5 to 2.8 years, was recorded. Data collection started 2 to 4 months after receiving the implant, when the first words were produced, and continued until each child liad completed acquisition of the prosodie aspects of words. The analysis of these children's speech was compared to those of children with typical hearing. The contribution of cochlear implants to the early development of spoken language is revealed by the similarities to hearing children in the development of the prosodie word as well as the rate of progress. The rate of progress was shown to be affected by the age of implantation as well as by the age of identification and onset of intervention.