ABSTRACT
Conventional amplification in the form of externally worn hearing aids (HAs) is routinely used with children having mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss (HL). Many factors contribute to language development in children with HL. The nature of HL can be quite varied, but most often it is quantified through a pure tone average threshold. A variety of communication approaches for children with HAs and cochlear implants exist in the United States and elsewhere, with an emphasis on developing skills that will allow them to communicate with their primary caregivers. The acquisition of spoken language syntax and morphology poses a particular challenge for children with HL. Performance on individual aspects of language is the most revealing type of data for understanding the effects of HL on language acquisition, but it is also useful to consider the overall level of spoken language skills attained.
