The perception of prosody and associated auditory cues in early-implanted children: the role of auditory working memory and musical activities.
OBJECTIVE
To study prosodic perception in early-implanted children in relation to auditory discrimination, auditory working memory, and exposure to music.


METHODS
Word and sentence stress perception, discrimination of fundamental frequency (F0), intensity and duration, and forward digit span were measured twice over approximately 16 months. Musical activities were assessed by questionnaire.


METHODS
Twenty-one early-implanted and age-matched normal-hearing (NH) children (4-13 years).


RESULTS
Children with cochlear implants (CIs) exposed to music performed better than others in stress perception and F0 discrimination. Only this subgroup of implanted children improved with age in word stress perception, intensity discrimination, and improved over time in digit span. Prosodic perception, F0 discrimination and forward digit span in implanted children exposed to music was equivalent to the NH group, but other implanted children performed more poorly. For children with CIs, word stress perception was linked to digit span and intensity discrimination: sentence stress perception was additionally linked to F0 discrimination.


CONCLUSIONS
Prosodic perception in children with CIs is linked to auditory working memory and aspects of auditory discrimination. Engagement in music was linked to better performance across a range of measures, suggesting that music is a valuable tool in the rehabilitation of implanted children.
* Cognitive Brain Research Unit; University of Helsinki , Finland.
Ritva
R
Torppa
Andrew
A
Faulkner
Minna
M
Huotilainen
Juhani
J
Järvikivi
Jari
J
Lipsanen
Marja
M
Laasonen
Martti
M
Vainio
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000367:Age Factors; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003463:Cues; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D061345:Early Medical Intervention; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009146:Music; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013067:Speech Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors