Prelinguistic communication in deaf infants

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The frequency of prelinguistic communicative acts in deaf infants

• IRAS ID

  347470

• Contact name

  Rosemary Wareham

• Contact email

  rapwareham-obrien1@sheffield.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Sheffield

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/7ENM4, Pre-registration

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 4 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  
  This study will investigate communication differences in interactions between deaf and non-deaf infants and their parents/caregivers. It will conceptually replicate and extend the work of Kelly et al. (2020). We will observe free play at home or in a university setting. Interactions will be recorded and key behaviours coded.
  In replicating Kelly et al. (2020), we hypothesise that the children with bilateral moderate-profound deafness will produce fewer communicative acts that predict later language development than hearing children. Specifically
  H1: Frequency of prelinguistic communicative acts (showing gestures, giving gestures, index finger pointing, and gaze co-ordinated vocalisations) will be lower for deaf infants
  H2: Frequency of all prelinguistic + conventional communicative acts (prelinguistic frequency + frequency of words and signs) will be lower for deaf infants. However, within the context of deafness there is increased complexity regarding gaze coordination. Deaf children may need to switch visual attention for often and therefore the ideal communication rate could be slower when a communication partner is deaf.

  In extending Kelly et al. (2020), we will test the above hypotheses with a wider group of deaf children with unilateral hearing loss and/or mild hearing loss and explore whether frequency of communication is related to extent of hearing loss. Here hearing will be treated as a ternary variable (no hearing loss / mild-moderate or unilateral / severe-profound).
  .
  H3: Frequency of prelinguistic communicative acts (showing gestures, giving gestures, index finger pointing, and gaze co-ordinated vocalisations) will increase with hearing levels (no hearing loss / mild-moderate or unilateral / severe-profound)

  H4: Frequency of all prelinguistic+conventional communicative acts (prelinguistic frequency + frequency of words and signs) will increase with hearing levels (no hearing loss / mild-moderate or unilateral / severe-profound)
  

• REC name

  HSC REC B

• REC reference

  24/NI/0132

• Date of REC Opinion

  21 Nov 2024

• REC opinion

  Unfavourable Opinion