<p>While reading in deaf children has been the object of a number of studies, the reading abilitiesof children with mild and moderate hearing impairment and their relation to cognitiveprocessing have not received very much attention. Predictive factors of reading ability inhearing children are well known, with phonological and working memory abilities beingnecessary prerequisites for reading development. Existing studies suggest, however, thatcertain hearing-impaired children achieve a reading level comparable to that of hearingchildren in spite of impaired phonological abilities. In the present study, reading abilities anda range of cognitive processing abilities were measured in a group of hearing-impairedchildren and compared with hearing controls in equivalent school grades. Comparisons weremade at group and school-grade level, and the cognitive profile of hearing-impaired childrenat level with controls (those being within one standard deviation) was discussed. The resultssuggest that phonological abilities are important for the hearing-impaired children, but to alesser extent than for normally hearing children. The results also point towards workingmemoryabilities (particularly correct recall of phonemes in nonword repetition) as beingimportant for the possibility to compensate for impaired phonological abilities.</p> / <p>Emedan döva barns läsande har varit föremål för ett antal studier, har läsförmågan hos barnmed mild och måttlig hörselnedsättning och dennas relation till underliggande kognitiva förmågor inte fått mycket uppmärksamhet. Predicerande faktorer för läsförmågan hos hörande barn är väl kända och fonologisk förmåga och arbetsminneskapacitet utgör oumbärliga förutsättningar för läsutvecklingen. Befintliga studier antyder dock att vissa barn med mildoch måttlig hörselnedsättning uppnår en läsförmåga i nivå med hörande barns, trots nedsatt fonologisk förmåga. I föreliggande studie undersöktes läsförmågan och en rad kognitivaförmågor hos en grupp barn med mild och måttlig hörselnedsättning. Jämförelser gjordes medhörande kontroller på gruppnivå och per årskurs, och den kognitiva profilen hos de barn medhörselnedsättning som låg i nivå med kontrollerna (de som låg inom en standardavvikelse) diskuterades. Resultaten antyder att fonologiska förmågor var viktiga för läsning i sambandmed hörselnedsättning, men i mindre utsträckning än för normalhörande barn. Resultaten antyder också att arbetsminneskapacitet (framförallt korrekt fonemåtergivning vidnonordsrepetition) har betydelse för möjligheten att kompensera en nedsatt fonologiskförmåga.</p>

<p>Monogenic disorders offer a possibility for studies of genetic disturbances in hearing impairment—a knowledge which could be essential for development of future treatment options. In this thesis, the underlying genetic disturbances in neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) and familial Meniere’s disease (FMD) were evaluated, and familial X-linked hearing impairment was described from a clinical point of view. </p><p>In paper I, constitutional DNA from 116 individuals with NF2 of variable severity was studied using the array-CGH method focusing on a 7.6-Mb area surrounding the NF2 gene on chromosome 22q. Deletions were found in 20.7% of samples. In mild NF2, the deletions were small, but variable sizes of deletions were found in cases that were moderately or severely affected. Disease phenotype could not be predicted from the size of the deletions.</p><p>In papers II and III, a single five-generation family with autosomal dominant FMD was described. Anticipation concerning age of onset was observed. Genome scan revealed five candidate gene regions with a LOD score of > 1. Two additional families with autosomal dominant MD were analyzed for linkage to these five regions. A cumulative Zmax of 3.46 was obtained for a single 463-kb region on chromosome 12p12.3, containing only one known gene: PIK3C2G. This encodes a protein with a proposed role in hair cell regeneration in mammalian ears. No mutations were found in protein-coding sequences or exon-intron borders. In two of the three families, a shared haplotype, suggested common ancestry, was found to extend over 1.7 Mb, which could be a genomic region of importance for FMD.</p><p>In paper IV, a family in which five males displayed progressive low- and mid-frequency hearing impairment from the first or second decade was described. Female carriers were affected by a high-frequency hearing impairment from the fourth decade. The family could represent a novel X-linked dominant audiophenotype.</p>

In Sweden, about 10% of the adult population experienceshearing problems that cause them difficulties in everydaycommunication, and approximately 60 000 people are providedwith hearing aids each year. Despite the fact that modernhearing aids can facilitate speech communication in a widerange of listening environments, many hearing-aid users aredissatisfied with their hearing aids. It is likely that theclinical methods used for individual fitting of the hearingaids are not optimal. The current study investigates prescriptive methods fornonlinear, wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) hearinginstruments. The goal is to draw general conclusions about thepreferences of hearing aid users. Therefore, the prescriptionsare evaluated using well-established models of loudness andspeech intelligibility. Current methods differed considerably in prescribed gain.Evaluations in a laboratory test, with 20 hearing-impairedlisteners, showed that these differences led to largedifferences in perceived and calculated loudness, but only tominor differences in measured and predicted speech recognitionscores. The difference in loudness was explored in a studywhere 21 first-time hearing-aid users compared twoprescriptions. One method led to normal and the other toless-than-normal overall calculated loudness (according to theloudness model of Moore and Glasberg (1997)). The prescriptionthat led to less-than-normal overall loudness was clearlypreferred in field and in laboratory tests. Preferred overall loudness was then quantified.Hearing-impaired participants with mild to moderate hearingloss preferred considerably less-than-normal overall calculatedloudness in both eld and laboratory tests. There were nosignificant differences between inexperienced and experiencedhearing aid users. Normal-hearing participants, on the otherhand, preferred close-to-normal overall calculated loudness. Inaddition, a potential problem with the loudness model wasencountered: despite the fact that the hearing-impairedlisteners were provided with less than normal overallcalculated loudness, they rated loudness higher than thenormal-hearing listeners. The results refute the most commonly adopted rationale forprescriptive methods for WDRC hearing aids - that overallloudness should be restored to normal. Hearing-impairedlisteners with mild to moderate hearing loss preferredconsiderably less than normal overall loudness. This should betaken into account when deriving new prescriptive methods, andwhen providing clients with hearing aids. Key words:hearing impairment, hearing aid, nonlinear,WDRC, hearing aid experience, prescription, loudness, loudnessmodel, speech intelligibility, preference.

While reading in deaf children has been the object of a number of studies, the reading abilitiesof children with mild and moderate hearing impairment and their relation to cognitiveprocessing have not received very much attention. Predictive factors of reading ability inhearing children are well known, with phonological and working memory abilities beingnecessary prerequisites for reading development. Existing studies suggest, however, thatcertain hearing-impaired children achieve a reading level comparable to that of hearingchildren in spite of impaired phonological abilities. In the present study, reading abilities anda range of cognitive processing abilities were measured in a group of hearing-impairedchildren and compared with hearing controls in equivalent school grades. Comparisons weremade at group and school-grade level, and the cognitive profile of hearing-impaired childrenat level with controls (those being within one standard deviation) was discussed. The resultssuggest that phonological abilities are important for the hearing-impaired children, but to alesser extent than for normally hearing children. The results also point towards workingmemoryabilities (particularly correct recall of phonemes in nonword repetition) as beingimportant for the possibility to compensate for impaired phonological abilities. / Emedan döva barns läsande har varit föremål för ett antal studier, har läsförmågan hos barnmed mild och måttlig hörselnedsättning och dennas relation till underliggande kognitiva förmågor inte fått mycket uppmärksamhet. Predicerande faktorer för läsförmågan hos hörande barn är väl kända och fonologisk förmåga och arbetsminneskapacitet utgör oumbärliga förutsättningar för läsutvecklingen. Befintliga studier antyder dock att vissa barn med mildoch måttlig hörselnedsättning uppnår en läsförmåga i nivå med hörande barns, trots nedsatt fonologisk förmåga. I föreliggande studie undersöktes läsförmågan och en rad kognitivaförmågor hos en grupp barn med mild och måttlig hörselnedsättning. Jämförelser gjordes medhörande kontroller på gruppnivå och per årskurs, och den kognitiva profilen hos de barn medhörselnedsättning som låg i nivå med kontrollerna (de som låg inom en standardavvikelse) diskuterades. Resultaten antyder att fonologiska förmågor var viktiga för läsning i sambandmed hörselnedsättning, men i mindre utsträckning än för normalhörande barn. Resultaten antyder också att arbetsminneskapacitet (framförallt korrekt fonemåtergivning vidnonordsrepetition) har betydelse för möjligheten att kompensera en nedsatt fonologiskförmåga.

Objective: This study investigated the perspectives of adults with hearing impairment on hearing help-seeking and rehabilitation. Design: Individual semi-structured interviews were completed. Study sample: In total, 34 adults with hearing impairment in four countries (Australia, Denmark, UK, and USA) participated. Participants had a range of experience with hearing help-seeking and rehabilitation, from never having sought help to being satisfied hearing-aid users. Results: Qualitative content analysis identified four main categories (perceiving my hearing impairment, seeking hearing help, using my hearing aids, and perspectives and knowledge) and, at the next level, 25 categories. This article reports on the densest categories: they are described, exemplified with interview quotes, and discussed. Conclusions: People largely described hearing help-seeking and rehabilitation in the context of their daily lives. Adults with hearing impairment rarely described clinical encounters towards hearing help-seeking and rehabilitation as a connected process. They portrayed interactions with clinicians as isolated events rather than chronologically-ordered steps relating to a common goal. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed. / <p>Funding Agencies|University of Queensland Graduate School||</p>

The aim of this study is to explore the development of how people in different generations of a family with a hereditary hearing loss developed knowledge and to examine the role of the educational system and how it influenced this development. The research questions are: What is the prevalence of the deafness spoken of in the family chronicle? What different kinds of knowledge did the family members with deafness/hearing loss develop and how did they make use of them? In what ways may they have experienced their deafness/hearing loss as a suffering? What knowledge did they develop because the hearing loss recurred in several successive generations? The studied material includes answers from a questionnaire, different historical documents and sixteen interviews. Descendants of the first man born in the family in 1816 described as deaf. Among the descendants a total of 84 persons with a hereditary hearing loss have been found, at most in seven successive generations. The sixteen persons interviewed have spoken about themselves, their parent, mother or father-parent, with hearing loss. This has made it possible to explore the development of knowledge in different areas. The findings from the interviews are interpreted in four chapters where the development knowledge in the different generations has been related to each other and to the hearing loss. The study shows that the generations developed various forms of competence and knowledge and that this occurred mainly in the homes. The members of the family with hearing loss were educated by themselves. The role of public school was small. The last generation, however, has been able to carry out higher studies. The communicative practice at home was spoken Swedish, eye contact, a loud and clear voice and speechreading. The speech of children was read before the children themselves had to read the speech of others.

<p>In Sweden, about 10% of the adult population experienceshearing problems that cause them difficulties in everydaycommunication, and approximately 60 000 people are providedwith hearing aids each year. Despite the fact that modernhearing aids can facilitate speech communication in a widerange of listening environments, many hearing-aid users aredissatisfied with their hearing aids. It is likely that theclinical methods used for individual fitting of the hearingaids are not optimal.</p><p>The current study investigates prescriptive methods fornonlinear, wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) hearinginstruments. The goal is to draw general conclusions about thepreferences of hearing aid users. Therefore, the prescriptionsare evaluated using well-established models of loudness andspeech intelligibility.</p><p>Current methods differed considerably in prescribed gain.Evaluations in a laboratory test, with 20 hearing-impairedlisteners, showed that these differences led to largedifferences in perceived and calculated loudness, but only tominor differences in measured and predicted speech recognitionscores. The difference in loudness was explored in a studywhere 21 first-time hearing-aid users compared twoprescriptions. One method led to normal and the other toless-than-normal overall calculated loudness (according to theloudness model of Moore and Glasberg (1997)). The prescriptionthat led to less-than-normal overall loudness was clearlypreferred in field and in laboratory tests.</p><p>Preferred overall loudness was then quantified.Hearing-impaired participants with mild to moderate hearingloss preferred considerably less-than-normal overall calculatedloudness in both eld and laboratory tests. There were nosignificant differences between inexperienced and experiencedhearing aid users. Normal-hearing participants, on the otherhand, preferred close-to-normal overall calculated loudness. Inaddition, a potential problem with the loudness model wasencountered: despite the fact that the hearing-impairedlisteners were provided with less than normal overallcalculated loudness, they rated loudness higher than thenormal-hearing listeners.</p><p>The results refute the most commonly adopted rationale forprescriptive methods for WDRC hearing aids - that overallloudness should be restored to normal. Hearing-impairedlisteners with mild to moderate hearing loss preferredconsiderably less than normal overall loudness. This should betaken into account when deriving new prescriptive methods, andwhen providing clients with hearing aids.</p><p><b>Key words:</b>hearing impairment, hearing aid, nonlinear,WDRC, hearing aid experience, prescription, loudness, loudnessmodel, speech intelligibility, preference.</p>

Šalyje atkūrus nepriklausomybę keitėsi švietimo ir bendrojo ugdymo sistema. Keičiantis švietimo sistemai ir ugdymo turiniui specialiųjų poreikių asmenims sudaryta galimybė ugdytis bendrojo ugdymo mokyklų bendrosiose klasėse. Integruojant specialiųjų poreikių turinčius mokinius į bendrojo ugdymo mokyklų bedrąsias klases, turi būti kuriamos palankios mikroklimato aplinkybės. Šio darbo tyrimo problema yra – mikroklimato kūrimo aplinkybės, klausos sutrikimą turintiems mokiniams. Tyrimo tikslas – palankaus ugdymui mikroklimato kūrimo aplinkybės, klausos sutrikimą turintiems mokiniams. Išanalizuota pedagoginė – mokslinė, psichologinė literatūra bei švietimo dokumentų analizė teoriškai pagrindžiant palankias ugdymui mikroklimato kūrimo aplinkybes, klausos sutrikimą turintiems mokiniams. Tyrimo metu išaiškėjo klasės fizinės aplinkos ir mokytojo darbo kūrimo aplinkybės, klausos sutrikimą turintiems mokiniams, pagal mokinių sutrikimo laipsnį ir mokyklos tipą. Gauti rezultatai rodo, kad klasės fizinė aplinka ir mokytojo darbas, klausos sutrikimą turintiems mokiniams yra pritaikomi labai gerai. Vertinant klausos sutrikimą turinčių mokinių klasės fizinę aplinką pagal sutrikimo laipsnį matoma, kad klasės fizinė aplinka ir mokytojo darbas geriausiai pritaikomi labai žymų ir žymų neprigirdėjimą turintiems mokiniams, o pagal mokyklos tipą - pradinėms klasėms. Tyrimas leido nustatyti bendraklasių požiūrį į klausos sutrikimą turinčius mokinius. Iš 19 klausos sutrikimą turinčių mokinių 8... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The system of education and general education has evolved after Lithuania gained independence. Development of the education system and content of education, forms possibility for people with special needs to educate in comprehensive school's general classes. Creating of favorable microclimate should be in order to integrate people with special needs to general classes. The problem of this study is an analysis of the context development of microclimate for hearing-impaired students. The objective of the study is the identification of the context development of microclimate for hearing-impaired students. It has been analyzed pedagogic-scientific, psychological and educational documents literature. Theoretical justification has been used of context development of microclimate for hearing-impaired students. The study revealed the considerations of development the physical class environment and teacher work for students with hearing impairment, depending on students' impairment rate and type of school. The analysis shows that the assessment of the physical environment of class and teachers work adapted very well for hearing-impairment students. Assessment of physical environment of classes with different hearing impairment rate students had showed, that teachers work most adapted for significant hearing impairment students. Also teachers work most adapted for students in the primary classes. The study helps to determine the attitudes of classmates to students with hearing... [to full text]

Darbe atlikta teorinė analizė atskleidė, kad sutrikusios klausos mokiniai susiduria su verbalinės raiškos problemomis dėl turimo skurdaus žodyno ir paveikto gebėjimo priimti, suprasti, išreikšti lingvistinę informaciją. Šias problemas galima spręsti dailės terapijos sesijose, kurių metu, sudarant sąlygas, įgyjama dailinės ir verbalinės raiškos patirtis, lavinami įgūdžiai. Iškelta hipotezė, kad dailės terapijos sesijose yra skatinama klausos sutrikimų turinčių mokinių verbalinė raiška. Veiklos (veiksmo) metodu buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas – ištirti dailės terapijos poveikį skatinant sutrikusios klausos mokinių verbalinę raišką. Panaudojus literatūros analizės rezultatus, organizuotos dailės terapijos sesijos, kuriose buvo stebimos dailinės raiškos inspiravimo ir verbalinės raiškos skatinimo apraiškos. Tyrime dalyvavo 5 (2 neprigirdintys ir 3 kurti) klausos sutrikimų turintys 10-14 metų amžiaus mokiniai. Empirinėje dalyje nagrinėti sutrikusios klausos mokinių verbalinės raiškos skatinimo rezultatai bei atliktos content ir fenomenografinės analizės atskleidė svarbiausias tyrimo išvadas: 1. Retrospektyvus dailės terapijos sesijų stebėjimas atskleidė, kad grupės dalyvių verbalinė raiška yra skatinama tiesioginiu poveikiu – sudarant sąlygas išsisakyti, papasakoti apie savo dailinės raiškos kūrinį, atsakyti į mokytojos ir kitų grupės dalyvių klausimus bei netiesioginiu poveikiu – stebint mokytojos bendravimą, kitų dalyvių pasisakymus, išreiškiant spontaniškai kilusias... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The theoretical research performed in the paper revealed that the pupils with hearing impairments confronted with the problems of verbal expression concerning their poor vocabulary and their affected ability to accept, perceive, and express linguistic information. These problems can be solved in sessions of art therapy, which capacitate acquiring experience of artistic and verbal expression and development of skills. We have hypothesized that the verbal expression of pupils with hearing impairments is stimulated during the sessions of art therapy. The research, which aim was the ascertainment of the effect of the art therapy on stimulation of the verbal expression of the pupils with hearing impairments, was performed by the method of activity (action). By using the results of the literature analysis, the sessions of art therapy were organised, during which we observed the manifestations of artistic activity inspiration and stimulation of verbal expression. 5 pupils with hearing impairments (2 hard of hearing and 3 deaf) of 10 – 14 years old participated in the research. The results of verbal expression stimulation of the pupils with hearing impairments analysed in the empirical part and the content and phenomenographic analyses revealed the following main conclusions of the research: 1. The retrospective observation of the art therapy sessions revealed that the verbal expression of the participants of the group was stimulated by the direct impact – by allowing opening... [to full text]

Tyrimo objektas – greitų ir tikslių judesių mokymasis. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti ir palyginti merginų ir vaikinų greitų ir tikslių judesių greito mokymosi ypatumus atliekant uţduotį – 5 serijas po 20 kartojimų. Išvados: 1. Vaikinai atlikdami paprastą uţduotį reagavo greičiau nei merginos. 2. Merginos atlikdamos sudėtingą uţduotį ją išmoko atlikę pirmą seriją. Vaikinai atlikdami tą pačią sudėtingą uţduotį atliko nuosekliai maţėjant laiko intervalui. 3. Merginos pirmosios serijos metu išmokusios atlikti sudėtingą uţduotį likusias keturias serijas atliko panašiu laiku daugiau netobulėdamos. Vaikinai atlikdami tą pačią sudėtingą uţduotį atliko ją maţindami vidutinį reakcijos laiką ir didindami vidutinį reakcijos greitį. Uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti ir įvertinti registruotų judesių rodiklių skirtumus tarp merginų ir vaikinų. 2. Įvertinti greito mokymosi poveikį merginoms ir vaikinams. 3. Ištirti ir palyginti merginų ir vaikinų greito mokymosi dinamiką. Tyrimo hipotezė – vaikinų greitų ir tikslių judesių mokymasis tobulės sparčiau nei merginų. Rezultatai. Nustatytas statistiškai reikšmingas skirtumas (p < 0,05, 1 obs ) tarp vaikinų ir merginų reakcijos laiko atliekant paprastą uţduotį Atliekant sudėtingą uţduotį, vaikinų ir merginų laiko iki taikinio rodiklių vidurkiai iš 5 serijų skyrėsi statistiškai nereikšmingai tik pirmojoje serijoje. Merginos greitai išmoko sudėtingą uţduotį ir ją atliko greičiau nei vaikinai. Vaikinų mokymasis vyko palaipsniui, su kiekviena serija vis gerėjant... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This Master thesis involves the analysis of psychomotor reactionsfor deaf people and people with hearing impairment using the analyzer of dynamic parameters of human hand and leg movements (DPA-1). The analyzer is intended for measuring dynamic parameters of qualitative hand or leg independent or coordinated movements when reacting to the target in the monitor. The target can be programmed by different geometric, chromatic and time parameters. DPA-1 analyzer enables analyzing psychomotor reaction, dynamic and kinematic peculiarities of movements. Research object – learning speed and accuracy movements. Research aim – to estimate and compare the peculiarities of men and women’sspeed and accuracy movement learning. Research objectives: 1. To estimate and evaluate the differences of registered results in movements between men and women. 2. To evaluate the influence of fast learning for men and women. 3. To analyze and compare the dynamics of fast learning between men and women. Research hypothesis: Learning speed and accuracy movements will improve more for men than for women. Results.The difference between men and women performing a complicated task is statistically significant (p < 0.05, 1 obs ). The difference in average indicesbetween men and women’s time to target in 5 exercise sessions performing the complicated task was statistically insignificant only in the first session. Women learned how to perform the complicated task faster and showed better speed results than men... [to full text]