Effects of Computer-Assisted Speech Training on Mandarin-Speaking Hearing-Impaired Children

TLDR

The study investigated whether moderate amounts of computer‑assisted speech training can improve the speech recognition performance of hearing‑impaired children. Ten Mandarin‑speaking hearing‑impaired children (3 hearing aid users, 7 cochlear implant users) received home‑based computer‑assisted speech training for 10 weeks, 30 minutes daily, five days a week. The training produced significant gains in vowel, consonant, and tone recognition that were largely retained after two months, indicating that moderate, minimally supervised computer‑based auditory training can effectively improve speech performance in hearing‑impaired children.

Abstract

The present study investigated whether moderate amounts of computer-assisted speech training can improve the speech recognition performance of hearing-impaired children. Ten Mandarin-speaking children (3 hearing aid users and 7 cochlear implant users) participated in the study. Training was conducted at home using a personal computer for half an hour per day, 5 days per week, for a period of 10 weeks. Results showed significant improvements in subjects’ vowel, consonant, and tone recognition performance after training. The improved performance was largely retained for 2 months after training was completed. These results suggest that moderate amounts of auditory training, using a computer-based auditory rehabilitation tool with minimal supervision, can be effective in improving the speech performance of hearing-impaired children.