The use of an earplug to increase speech comprehension in a subgroup of children with learning disabilities: an experimental treatment.
In this article, the ability to comprehend and repeat short stories was measured in selected children with learning difficulties. Performances were compared in 3 listening conditions, in which stories were heard either in the left ear, in the right ear, or in both ears simultaneously. Although the underlying mechanisms are not understood, some children are better able to repeat stories presented to 1 ear only than to both ears simultaneously. This effect warrants further study because it leads to a simple noninvasive treatment method that might be of significant benefit to some children. In a follow-up study by the Department of Education of the Alberta government, children from this study were independently retested and the study's main findings were replicated.
Green
Paul
P
Neurobehavioural Associates, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. paulgreen@shaw.ca
Josey
Frank
F
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D004430:Ear Protective Devices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013067:Speech Perception; D014888:Wechsler Scales