Development of joint engagement in young deaf and hearing children: effects of chronological age and language skills.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate joint engagement (JE) in age-matched children with and without hearing and its relationship to oral language skills.


METHODS
Participants were 180 children with severe-to-profound hearing loss prior to cochlear implant surgery, and 96 age-matched children with normal hearing; all parents were hearing. JE was evaluated in a 10-minute videotaped free play task with parents. Engagement states ranged from the lowest (unengaged) to the highest level (symbol-infused coordinated). Standardized language measures were administered.


RESULTS
Multivariate analyses were conducted between the groups, stratified by chronological and language age. Children who were deaf (Deaf) spent less time in total symbol-infused JE than children with normal hearing (NH) across all ages. The majority of the Deaf group (83%) fell in the lowest language age group, in comparison to 35% of the NH group, and spent significantly less time in symbol-infused JE than hearing children. These delays were also observed in the Deaf group, who fell into the 18-36 month language age. No children in the Deaf group had achieved a language age of > 36 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Young children with and without hearing had different developmental trajectories of JE, which were related to oral language skills.
Ivette
I
Cejas
David H
DH
Barker
Alexandra L
AL
Quittner
John K
JK
Niparko
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors