title: Measuring phonological awareness in deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated psychometric properties of 2 phonological awareness (PA) tests normed for hearing children when used with deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. It also provides an in-depth description of these children's PA.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eight DHH children (mean age = 63.3 months) with cochlear implants or hearing aids were assessed in the fall and spring of the school year. Sixty-three percent communicated only with spoken language; 37% communicated with both sign and speech. Examiners administered PA subtests from the Phonological Awareness Test-2 and the Test of Preschool Early Literacy, along with assessments of speech perception and early literacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Item analyses indicated that both tests showed good psychometric properties (e.g., high item discriminations and internal consistencies). DHH children scored higher on subtests and items that measured words, rhymes, and syllables than those that assessed phonemes. Although subtest difficulty influenced the factor structure in the fall, spring PA was best characterized as a single factor. PA correlated concurrently and predictively with early literacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that these 2 standardized tests are valid for use with DHH children with functional hearing. Although delayed, these children's PA was structurally similar to that of hearing children.
authors.forename: Mi-young L
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lederberg
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010700:Phonetics; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012813:Sign Language; D013060:Speech