O acidente vascular encefálico (AVE) é uma doença comum e de grande impacto para a saúde da população, uma vez que é considerado a principal causa de incapacidades neurológicas, principalmente motora e cognitiva. Considerando que os exossomos e o seu conteúdo podem ser marcadores prognóstico de demência em pacientes com Doença de Alzheimer, avaliamos o perfil exossomal circulante em pacientes pós AVE isquêmico com e sem comprometimento cognitivo. Ainda, é de conhecimento que os pacientes tratados com trombolíticos apresentam redução na dependência funcional a longo prazo, assim é de interesse avaliar os exossomos periféricos destes pacientes. Este trabalho visou investigar o perfil de exossomos circulantes em pacientes após diagnóstico de AVE isquêmico (AVEI) nas fases aguda e crônica. Foram determinados o conteúdo de proteína total e a atividade da acetilcolinesterase (AChE), marcadores de exossomos, além de correlacionar escores de comprometimento neurológico com os parâmetros bioquímicos. Ainda, considerando que o estresse oxidativo tem um papel central na fisiopatologia da isquemia cerebral, determinamos o conteúdo de espécies reativas e a atividade da enzima superóxido dismutase (SOD) em exossomos circulantes. Os fatores comprometimento cognitivo e o uso do trombolítico na fase aguda da doença não mostraram ter influência sobre os parâmetros estudados. Os resultados sugerem que uma diminuição de exossomos circulantes, já que houve uma redução na quantificação de proteínas totais na fase crônica, pode sugerir um prejuízo no sistema de remoção de materiais tóxicos levando ao acúmulo de materiais indesejados disso, o estado oxidativo exossomal, representado pelos níveis de espécies reativas e a atividade da SOD, foi alterado na fase crônica quando comparado com a fase aguda. Estes resultados sugerem que há uma alteração do perfil dos exossomos ao longo do tempo nos pacientes com AVE isquêmico. Nossos dados indicam que os níveis de espécies reativas na fase aguda podem predizer alterações no perfil dos exossomos na fase crônica de pacientes com comprometimento cognitivo, especificamente nas atividades das enzimas SOD e AChE e na concentração de proteínas totais. Estas associações não foram observadas em pacientes sem comprometimento cognitivo. Correlacionamos os parâmetros bioquímicos com as escalas de déficit neurológico, os escores do Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM) foram inversamente proporcionais aos níveis de AChE naqueles pacientes que não receberam o tratamento trombolítico na fase aguda. Assim, nossos dados demonstram que o prejuízo cognitivo (menores escores de MEEM) está associado a maiores níveis de atividade da AChE em exossomos circulantes. O papel dosexossomos na fisiopatologia da isquemia cerebral, assim como na predição de diagnóstico de comprometimento cognitivo precisa ser melhor investigado. / Stroke is a common disease and has a major impact on the public health, since it is considered the main cause of neurological disabilities, mainly motor and cognitive impairment. Considering that exosomes’ content may be prognostic markers of dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease we evaluated the circulating exosomal profile in patients with ischemic stroke with and without cognitive impairment. Furthermore, it is known that thrombolytic therapy reduces long-term disability, so it is interesting to evaluate the peripheral exosomes of these patients. This work aimed to investigate the profile of circulating exosomes in patients after diagnosis of ischemic stroke in the acute and chronic phases. Total protein content and acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE), markers of exosomes were determined, also it was correlated the scores of cognitive function tests with biochemical parameters. Considering that oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia, we determined the content of reactive species and the activity of the superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD) in circulating exosomes. The factors cognitive impairment and the use of thrombolytic in the acute phase of the disease did not show influence on the studied parameters. The results suggest that a decrease in circulating exosomes, since there was a reduction in the quantification of total proteins in the chronic phase, may suggest a damage in the system of removal of toxic materials leading to the accumulation of unwanted materials. The exosomal oxidative state, represented by the reactive species levels and the SOD activity, was altered in the chronic phase when compared to the acute phase These results suggest that the profile of the exosomes is altered over time in patients with ischemic stroke. Our data indicate that reactive species levels in the acute phase may predict changes in the exosome profile in the chronic phase of patients with cognitive impairment, specifically in the activities of SOD and AChE enzymes and in the concentration of total proteins. These associations were not observed in patients without cognitive impairment. We correlated the biochemical parameters with the the scores of the assessment of cognitive function tests, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were inversely proportional to the AChE levels in those patients who did not receive the thrombolytic treatment in the acute phase. Thus, our data demonstrate that cognitive impairment (lower MMSE scores) is associated with higher levels of AChE activity in circulating exosomes. The role of exosomes in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia, as well as in the prediction of diagnosis of cognitive impairment, needs to be better investigated.

Behavior management is arguably the cornerstone of good teaching and this is particularly so in traditional educational school settings. In Thailand, the most common strategy for managing problem behavior is the use of the Ministry of Education's Code of Conduct for all children. However, reactive strategies produce negative side effects in terms of student prognosis, inclusion, and also teacher stress. There is currently no data regarding the types of problem behaviors experienced by teachers working in special residential schools for students with visual impairments. Therefore, the goals of this thesis are to examine teacher perceptions regarding the types of problems they typically encounter and the behavior management practices they use in their classrooms. Thai teachers working in these special residential schools completed a 61-item questionnaire rating the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that problem behaviors were observed and the extent to which they found specific behavior management practices effective. Results suggested Thai teachers occasionally experienced problem behaviors related to distractibility and stereotypy, which can interfere with instructional activities and learning. However, the teachers infrequently encountered more serious behaviors such as aggression or self-injury. Teachers also reported using more proactive instructional approaches and positive disciplinary practices to keep students engaged in instruction as opposed to more punitive management practices, like reprimands or office referrals. Results are discussed in the context of behavior management practices across traditional and self-contained educational settings, and a focus on transition practices to facilitate including more Thai students with visual impairments into traditional educational settings with their non-disabled peers.

xiv, 96 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Among older adults, an impaired ability to maintain balance while simultaneously performing cognitive tasks is a common occurrence. Because poor dual-task balance performance is associated with increased fall risk and a decline in cognitive function, interventions to improve dual-task balance performance are needed. Although traditional rehabilitation programs emphasizing training balance under single-task conditions are effective in improving single-task balance performance, it is not known whether single-task training generalizes to balance control under dual-task contexts. Moreover, the effectiveness of approaches to training balance under dual-task conditions is not known. Thus, the purposes of this study were to determine whether elderly individuals with balance impairment can improve their balance performance under dual-task conditions; to investigate whether training balance under single-task conditions generalizes to balance control during dual-task contexts; and to evaluate the effect of instructional set on dual-task balance performance. Specifically, the efficiency of three different training strategies was examined in an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying training-related changes in dual-task balance performance. Twenty-three elderly adults with balance impairment were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 interventions: single-task balance training (ST); dual-task training with fixed-priority instruction (FP); and dual-task training with variable-priority instruction (VP). Clinical and laboratory measures were obtained at baseline and after training. In addition, selected clinical outcomes were repeated after the second week of training to examine interim balance change and at twelve weeks post training to test retention. Results indicate that dual-task training was effective in improving balance under dual-task conditions in the elderly with balance impairment. Training balance under single-task conditions may not generalize to balance control during dual-task contexts. Explicit instruction regarding attentional focus was an important factor for improvement in dual-task performance. The VP instructional set offered advantages over the FP instructional set in terms of the degree of improvement, the rate of learning, and the retention of the dual-task training effect. The dual-task processing skills learned during training were not transferred to novel dual-task conditions. Lastly, the training benefits acquired during VP training could be the result of both automatization of the individual task and the development of task-coordination skills. / Adviser: Marjorie Woollacott

Submitted by PPGE PPGE (pgedu@ufba.br) on 2015-01-05T16:47:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Versão final ABNT 21-02-2014.pdf: 1161132 bytes, checksum: 1d2a9eea062c24d1ac42a6c45e2ddfdf (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora da Silva Lopes (silopes@ufba.br) on 2015-01-27T19:45:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Versão final ABNT 21-02-2014.pdf: 1161132 bytes, checksum: 1d2a9eea062c24d1ac42a6c45e2ddfdf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-01-27T19:45:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Versão final ABNT 21-02-2014.pdf: 1161132 bytes, checksum: 1d2a9eea062c24d1ac42a6c45e2ddfdf (MD5) / CAPES / A música tem fundamental importância no desenvolvimento intelectual, cultural e social do ser humano, contribuindo para a inserção de educandos com deficiência visual na sala de aula. Esta pesquisa trata da acessibilidade na educação musical para pessoas com deficiência visual no contexto do ensino regular. Fundamentei este estudo nos principais teóricos da inclusão como, Diniz e Sassaki, que defendem a ideia de uma sociedade que permita a participação satisfatória das pessoas com deficiência; Masini, que ressalta a importância da percepção da pessoa com deficiência visual envolvendo outros sentidos que não o da visão. Para entender a metodologia das práticas musicais consultei teóricos da educação musical no Brasil, entre esses Swanwick, e Hemsy de Gainza que postulam a ideia de uma musicalização centrada nos aspectos da singularidade humana obedecendo às etapas do desenvolvimento cognitivo, social e cultural do individuo. Incluí também a legislação especifica na área da educação inclusiva que entendo como relevante para fundamentar os princípios que regem a conduta que possibilite a acessibilidade satisfatória do educando com deficiência. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar o processo de ensino da música para alunos com deficiência visual; identificar procedimentos de acessibilidade que poderão melhor contribuir para a prática da educação musical para esses educandos, incluindo os possíveis recursos didáticos pedagógicos que estejam sendo utilizados em sala de aula, para entender como a educação musical está sendo ensinada às pessoas com deficiência visual. Para tanto, situei esta pesquisa numa abordagem de estudo de caso do tipo qualitativo, realizada em seis escolas de Salvador, públicas e particulares em que existiam, no mesmo espaço, o professor de música e o aluno com deficiência visual. Realizei entrevistas com educadores musicais, que atuam nessas instituições, e também com aluno com limitação visual. Como resultado, constatei que a educação Inclusiva não tem encontrado um espaço amplo nas práticas escolares e que o número de escolas regulares preparadas para incluir, de fato, os educandos deficientes visuais na aula de música, é muito restrito, sobretudo na utilização de recursos adaptados, que visem o desenvolvimento de novos critérios metodológicos para o seu aprendizado, A identificação e interpretação dos dados investigados podem proporcionar uma melhor discussão e reflexão quanto à acessibilidade da educação musical com o entendimento de que não somente são importantes as técnicas e os procedimentos em sala de aula, mas toda a investigação das necessidades específicas dos alunos com deficiência visual. / ABSTRACT The music is of fundamental importance in the intellectual, cultural and social development of human beings, contributing to the inclusion of students with visual impairments in the classroom. This research deals with accessibility in music education for people with visual impairments in the context of regular education. Fundamentei this study in the major theorists such as inclusion, and Sassaki Diniz , who defend the idea of a society that permits satisfactory participation of people with disabilities; Masini, which underscores the importance of the perception of people with visual impairments involving senses other than the vision. To understand the methodology of musical practices consulted theorists of music education in Brazil between these Swanwick, and Hemsy of Gainza that posit the idea of ​​a musicalizacion focused on aspects of human uniqueness by following the steps of the cognitive , social and cultural development of the individual. Includes legislation also specifies the area of inclusive education which I understand as relevant to support the principles that govern the conduct that enables the satisfactory accessibility of student with disabilities The purpose of this study was to analyze the process of teaching music to students with visual impairment, identify accessibility procedures that can best contribute to the practice of music education for these students , including the possible pedagogical teaching resources that are being used in the classroom to understand how music education is being taught people with visual impairments. To this end, this research was conducted by case study of the qualitative approach, carried out in six schools in Salvador, public and private that had, in the same space, the music teacher and the student with visual impairments. Conducted interviews with music educators, who work in these institutions, as well as with students with visual impairment. As a result, found that Inclusive education has not found ample space in school practices and that the number of regular schools prepared to include, in fact, the visually impaired students in music class, is very limited, especially in the use of resources adapted , aimed at the development of new methodological criteria for learning, identification and interpretation of the investigated data can provide a better discussion and reflection about the accessibility of music education with the understanding that not only are important techniques and procedures in the classroom classroom, but the investigation of the specific needs of students with visual impairments

This diploma dissertation is focused on integration of hearing handicapped people in the society. The objective of the diploma dissertation is the analysis of possibilities to integrate the hearing handicapped people in socio-cultural milieu of the majority society. The diploma dissertation is an investigation work and it is divided into two parts, namely to theoretical and practical ones. In the first theoretical part, I am dealing with a brief division of hearing defects, communication and personality types of hearing handicapped individuals and further with areas of education, employment and culture. Methods and techniques of the qualitative research are described in the practical part. The research method is used in the diploma dissertation and data collection technique is represented by the semi-controlled conversation with hearing handicapped people. The research was implemented on the territory of the capital city of Prague. The research set is made up of 10 respondents altogether having different types of hearing handicap. The cardinal question set within the framework of the research is What are the chances of integration of the hearing handicapped people in the socio-cultural milieu of the majority society? Further, other secondary investigative questions were set. It resulted from the research that chances for education of hearing handicapped persons are not sufficient and further that the hearing handicapped people have a limited access to labour market due to their hearing defects. In addition, the investigation showed that the highest barriers in relation to the hearing society consist in communication and information barriers and further in persistent prejudices of the society and that the hearing handicapped people do not have an adequate access to cultural enjoyment equally over the entire Czech Republic territory. One of the outcomes of the dissertation thesis for practical utilization is the description how to find out the chances of integration of the hearing handicapped persons in the socio-cultural milieu of the majority society, which may contribute not only to better awareness of both the expert public and general public, but also to finding conceivable needs of social services for these people.

Esta dissertação tem como intenção desenvolver uma proposta metodológica de adaptação e desenvolvimento de Objetos de Aprendizagem Acessíveis. Essa proposta metodológica define passo a passo o desenvolvimento do OA Acessível, seguindo o desenvolvimento de software orientado a objetos numa perspectiva inclusiva. Após a criação dessa proposta metodológica, foram feitas validações do OAA com sujeitos cegos e com limitação visual. No decorrer do texto, apresentamos as etapas de desenvolvimento do OA acessível, assim como as considerações finais do trabalho. / This methodological proposal defines step by step the development of an Accessible LO following the development of object oriented software in an inclusive perspective. After the creation of this methodological proposal, were made validations of the Accessible LO with blind subjects and with visual impairment. Throughout the text we present the development stages of the Accessible LO as well as the final considerations of the work.

Submitted by MAÍSA KICH GRECCO null (maisakg@bol.com.br) on 2016-03-23T13:56:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Maísa Kich Grecco.pdf: 2876385 bytes, checksum: 386e37f57cf8947da28a13b9dd7efb66 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-03-24T14:28:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 grecco_mk_me_bauru.pdf: 2876385 bytes, checksum: 386e37f57cf8947da28a13b9dd7efb66 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-24T14:28:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 grecco_mk_me_bauru.pdf: 2876385 bytes, checksum: 386e37f57cf8947da28a13b9dd7efb66 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-16 / O ouvinte, se bem treinado, pode fornecer estímulos discriminativos e reforçadores para respostas do falante. No entanto, também pode emitir comportamentos supressores do comportamento verbal. Nos casos de deficiência auditiva, os pais podem ter dificuldade em estimular o comportamento verbal ainda que a privação sonora seja superada pelo implante coclear, pois ouvir e se comunicar oralmente requer aprendizagem. Considerando a importância do treino de pais enquanto audiência para estabelecimento do comportamento verbal de falante de crianças com deficiência auditiva, o presente estudo objetivou ampliar o repertório comportamental de ensino de operantes verbais de mães de crianças com deficiência auditiva e implante coclear por um programa instrucional desenvolvido para esse fim; e verificar se este programa aumentou a frequência de emissão de operantes verbais por seus filhos considerando a qualidade da produção oral. Participaram duas crianças de idades entre cinco e sete anos com deficiência auditiva neurossensorial pré-lingual e usuárias de implante coclear e suas mães. Foram avaliados comportamentos de ensino de comportamento verbal emitidos pelas mães e operantes verbais emitidos pelas crianças antes e após a intervenção, de acordo com um delineamento de linha de base múltipla entre participantes. Um questionário sondou comportamentos com função de antecedente e consequente emitidos pelas mães para os operantes verbais ecoico, tato, mando e intraverbal emitidos pelos filhos. As crianças foram avaliadas nos mesmos operantes verbais em tentativas discretas. O programa instruiu as mães a fornecer antecedentes e consequentes para operantes verbais emitidos pelos filhos. Os resultados compararam o número de operantes verbais identificados pelas mães e de comportamentos de ensino desses, antes e após a intervenção, e as produções orais das crianças. Foi observado um aumento no relato de comportamentos de ensino das duas mães após a intervenção para a maioria dos operantes verbais, fornecendo mais antecedentes e consequentes. Nas produções orais das crianças, observou-se uma fala mais precisa logo após as mães realizaram a intervenção. Pode-se sugerir que ampliar o repertório de ensino de operantes verbais das mães afeta positivamente a fala de seus filhos. Estudos futuros devem refinar esse programa enquanto tecnologia de ensino aplicável em escala maior. / The listener, if well trained, can provide discriminative and reinforcing stimuli to the speaker's answers. However, it can also issue suppressing behaviors of verbal behavior. In cases of hearing impairment, parents can find it difficult to stimulate verbal behavior although the sound deprivation is overcome by the cochlear implant because listen and communicate orally requires learning. Considering the importance of parent training as a hearing to establish the verbal behavior of children with hearing impairment speaker, this study aimed to extend the behavioral repertoire of verbal operant teaching of mothers of children with hearing loss and cochlear implants for an instructional program developed for this purpose; and verify that this program has increased the frequency of verbal operant by their children considering the quality of oral production. They included two children aged five and seven years with sensorineural hearing impairment before language and users of cochlear implants and their mothers. They were evaluated behaviors verbal behavior teaching issued by mothers and verbal operant issued by the children before and after the intervention, according to a line of delineation of multiple base among participants. A questionnaire probed behavior with a history of function and consequent issued by mothers to the echoic verbal operant, touch, command and intraverbal issued for the children. The children were evaluated in the same verbal operant in discrete trial. The program instructed mothers to provide antecedents and consequences for verbal operant issued for the children. The results compared the number of verbal operant identified by mothers and teaching these behaviors before and after the intervention, and the utterances of children. Reporting an increase in learning behavior of two mothers after surgery to most verbal operant was observed, providing more antecedents and consequences. The utterances of children, there was a more accurate speech soon after mothers underwent intervention. May be considered that expanding the verbal operant mothers teaching repertoire positively affects speech of their children. Future studies should refine the program as applicable learning technology on a larger scale.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-08-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:52:44Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 lirio_sb_me_rcla.pdf: 1048064 bytes, checksum: e6fab36d93fe26efa030770387b01435 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta pesquisa trata do uso do computador por deficientes visuais no estudo da matemática. Tem como objetivo conhecer as possibilidades e limitações do uso de tecnologia informática para o ensino de geometria para cegos. Para tanto adotou-se uma metodologia qualitativa baseada em experimentos de ensino, que consistem em uma combinação de entrevistas e situações de ensino e aprendizagem, promovendo total interação entre a pesquisadora e os participantes de pesquisa. As atividades contaram com a participação de duas estudantes cegas, uma é portadora de cegueira congênita (19 anos) e a outra com cegueira adquirida (16 anos). O programa de computador utilizado foi o desenhador vox que é parte integrante do sistema DOSVOX e tem distribuição gratuita. A interação com o usuário se dá através do teclado e possui feedback sonoro, o que permite que uma pessoa cega o utilize. A análise baseou-se em estudos sobre inclusão, educação matemática e o uso da tecnologia informática na educação especial. Os resultados mostram que, após familiarizadas com os comandos do programa desenhador vox, as estudantes foram capazes de construir diversas figuras geométricas planas, como: quadrados, retângulos e triângulos. Isto permitiu a expressão gráfica de idéias matemáticas. Verificou-se também que, para construir as figuras, é necessário que o usuário esteja familiarizado com a localização de pontos no plano cartesiano e, principalmente, com a representação da figura a ser trabalhada através de um modelo que possa ser explorado com as mãos. O uso da tecnologia informática, em especial do programa desenhador vox, se apresentou como um recurso educacional que tem muito a contribuir para a melhoria do atendimento ao portador de deficiência visual fundamentado nas idéias de inclusão dessas pessoas na escola regular. / This research deals with computer use in the study of mathematics by the visually impaired. The objective is to come to know the possibilities and limitations of the use of information technology in the teaching of geometry to the blind. A qualitative methodology was adopted based on teaching experiments, consisting of a combination of interviews and teaching/learning situations, promoting total interaction between the researcher and study participants. Two blind students participated in the activities, one congenitally blind individual (19 years old) and another with acquired blindness (16 years old). The computer program that was used was the desenhador vox, which is an integral part of the DOSVOX system and is distributed free. The interaction with the user occurs through a keyboard and has a sound feedback that makes it possible for a blind person to use it. The analysis was based on studies about inclusion, mathematics education, and the use of information technology in special education. The results show that, once familiarized with the commands of the desenhador vox program, the students were able to construct diverse geometrical planes, such as squares, rectangles, and triangles. This allowed the graphic expression of mathematical ideas. It was also found that, to construct the figures, it is necessary for the user to be familiar with the localization of the points on the Cartesian plane and, principally, with the representation of the figure being worked with using a model that can be explored with the hands. The use of information technology, and the desenhador vox program in particular, proved to be an educational resource that has much to contribute toward improving services for the visually impaired based on ideas of including them in regular schools.

abstract: ABSTRACT Millions of US aging individuals are at risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (Ad). Ad is progressive; there is no clinical cure to date. Certain drugs treat symptoms yet fog memory. Memory activity is critical to strengthen cognition. The Phoenix Art Museum (PAM) and Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) founded the Arts Engagement Program (AEP), a non-clinical, specialized arts program for adults with (MCI) and their caregiver. The museum environment is thought to enhance communication and raise self-esteem in certain MCI individuals. The interior surroundings may spurn memory enhancement. Scholarship to substantiate this theory is minimal; therefore, further studies are required. Empirical literature regarding design elements researched specific types of memory impairment was employed. The hypotheses that design elements of the museum's infrastructure and design elements from art themes enhance memory, and the results of these findings when applied to other environments enhance memory emerged. An experience-based study was performed. Semi-structured interviews noting design elements of both infrastructure and art were conducted after each of nine AEP sessions with volunteers from 8 dyads, a term used by the PAM as one caregiver and one MCI individual. The presiding docent was later interviewed. Volunteer interviews with dyads and docents was coded and ranked. Overlapping themes that tallied five or higher were considered significant due the low sample size. Results showed that neither group considered infrastructure design elements or art theme design elements a contributor to memory enhancement. The hypotheses proved null. Both groups expressed pleasure in experiencing the PAM’s environment. Keywords: MCI, infrastructure, art themes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2015

abstract: Children with hearing impairment are at risk for poor attainment in reading decoding and reading comprehension, which suggests they may have difficulty with early literacy skills prior to learning to read. The first purpose of this study was to determine if young children with hearing impairment differ from their peers with normal hearing on early literacy skills and also on three known predictors of early literacy skills – non-verbal cognition, executive functioning, and home literacy environment. A second purpose was to determine if strengths and weaknesses in early literacy skills of individual children with hearing impairment are associated with degree of hearing loss, non-verbal cognitive ability, or executive functioning. I assessed seven children with normal hearing and 10 children with hearing impairment on assessments of expressive vocabulary, expressive morphosyntax, listening comprehension, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, non-verbal cognition, and executive functioning. Two children had unilateral hearing loss, two had mild hearing loss and used hearing aids, two had moderate hearing loss and used hearing aids, one child had mild hearing loss and did not use hearing aids, and three children used bilateral cochlear implants. Parents completed a questionnaire about their home literacy environment. Findings showed large between-group effect sizes for phonological awareness, morphosyntax, and executive functioning, and medium between-group effect sizes for expressive vocabulary, listening comprehension, and non-verbal cognition. Visual analyses provided no clear pattern to suggest that non-verbal cognition or degree of hearing loss were associated with individual patterns of performance for children with hearing impairment; however, three children who seemed at risk for reading difficulties had executive functioning scores that were at the floor. Most prekindergarten and kindergarten children with hearing impairment in this study appeared to be at risk for future reading decoding and reading comprehension difficulties. Further, based on individual patterns of performance, risk was not restricted to one type of early literacy skill and a strength in one skill did not necessarily indicate a child would have strengths in all early literacy skills. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate all early literacy skills to pinpoint skill deficits and to prioritize intervention goals. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Speech and Hearing Science 2017