Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy

Advisor/Mentor

Bowers, Lisa

Committee Member

Glade, Rachel

Abstract

Hearing is the building block of developing receptive and expressive oral language skills used to effectively communicate. Children who experience hearing loss typically experience delays in phonological, morphological, semantic, and even pragmatic development. Understanding the specific language challenges faced by deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) young preschool-age children is crucial for developing targeted intervention strategies aimed at optimizing their language development. This research aims to analyze the nuanced aspects of phonological, morphological, semantic, and pragmatic language development among D/hh children, shedding light on areas that may require specialized support. The preliminary research will inform best practices in language assessment for children who are D/hh. By observing and evaluating the language skills of D/hh children within the Head Start program who have a hearing loss. Data will be gathered using Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN) software to analyze language samples. The utilization of CLAN software enables the examination and quantification of language samples, allowing for a thorough exploration of the linguistic abilities and challenges faced by D/hh children in real-world settings. Conducting an in-depth analysis of language samples will increase our ability to discern and gain deeper insights into the specific language skills for children who are D/hh.

Keywords

Language sampling; communication; communication disorders; hearing loss; hard of hearing; deaf

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