The development of proto-performative utterances in deaf toddlers.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the development of proto-imperative and proto-declarative utterances in normally developing, non-neonatally screened, profoundly deaf toddlers.


METHODS
Both types of proto-declarative are considered to be the most basic prelinguistic and early linguistic communicative functions. Eighteen normally developing, non-neonatally screened, profoundly deaf toddlers participated in a longitudinal study. All children were enrolled in the same oral-aural home guidance program. At the time of the study, none of the children had received a cochlear implant. At the ages of 18, 24, and 30 months, proto-imperative utterances were elicited using an adapted version of M. Casby and J. A. Cumpata's (1986) Protocol for the Assessment of Prelinguistic Intentional Communication. For eliciting proto-declarative intentions, a video clip was used.


RESULTS
Results revealed a significant increase in both frequency and level of utterances for both types of proto-performatives. Although there was a clear development from nonlinguistic toward linguistic communication, utterances remained predominantly deictic-gestural for the imperative intentions and referential-gestural for declaratives.


CONCLUSIONS
The data support the notion from the literature that both types of performatives are susceptible to elicitation. Results also suggest that after neonatal screening, both total communication and oral-aural approaches might accelerate conventionalization of the earliest communicative utterances of profoundly deaf toddlers.
Lichtert
Guido F
GF
Wateringe 67, Hingene, Belgium. guido.lichtert@ped.kuleuven.be
Loncke
Filip T
FT
D000367:Age Factors; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003638:Deafness / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010700:Phonetics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014743:Videotape Recording