Central Institute for the Deaf's assistive listening device catalogue: includes descriptions, photographs and prices

This paper presents a catalogue of assistive listening devices (including descriptions, photographs and descriptions) available at the assistive listening device center at Central Institute for the Deaf.

Classroom acoustics: enhancing the listening environment through the use of amplification systems

This paper discusses the variables affecting classroom acoustics and a case study examination of some local classrooms. Classrooms were measured against proposed American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and treatment options for improving acoustics are suggested.

Training hearing impaired consumer advocates of assistive listening devices

This paper contains a manual for training advocates of assistive listening devices.

Correlation of the articulation index to the MTS test under different listening conditions

This paper reviews a study to determine the relation between the aided articulation index and the aided speech recognition scores obtained with the Monosyllable, Trochee and Spondee (MTS) Test, when administered to hearing-impaired children.

A study of imitation, comprehension, and production

This paper examines the relationship between imitation, comprehension and speech production in language disordered children, and in identifying whether language-disordered children are "language impaired" or "talking impaired."

Subjective versus objective measures of daily listening environments

This study examined hearing impaired listeners’ subjective perceptions of listening environments through a listening questionnaire and compared these results to objective measures mimicked by the questionnaire in the datalogging device SAM (Sound Activity Meter). Results indicate audiologists should not rely on patient reports of “typical” listening environments for hearing aid selection as significant discrepancies were present between several of the subjective and objective measures.

Most comfortable listening levels of hearing impaired people: effects of everyday auditory and visual environments

This paper discusses a study to evaluate the changes that may occur in most comfortable listening levels when hearing aid users encounter a realistic auditory and visual environment.

A consumer survey designed to identify attitudes, knowledge, acceptance, and use of assistive listening devices in public facilities

This paper presents a consumer survey of hearing-impaired persons used to identify their attitudes, knowledge, acceptance, and use of assistive listening devices in public facilities.

Reading comprehension and oral reading fluency of deaf children with cochlear implants

This study investigates whether deaf children with cochlear implants have oral reading fluency scores comparable to reading-age matched hearing peers. It also examines the reading comprehension skills of deaf children with cochlear implants.

Subjective and objective measures of adult bimodal users' listening

Inconsistencies exist between traditional objective measures such as speech recognition and localization, and subjective reports of bimodal benefit. The purpose of this study was to expand the set of objective measures of bimodal benefit to include non-traditional listening tests, and to examine possible correlations between objective measures of auditory perception and subjective satisfaction reports.

Comprehension of wh-questions in a case of mixed dementia

We investigated processing of wh-questions and declarative sentences with differing syntactic complexity in a case of mixed dementia (FA). FA was impaired in her ability to understand syntactically complex declarative sentences and syntactically complex wh-questions beginning with which but not complex who questions. This profile, novel in dementia, is similar to that reported for people with agrammatic aphasia and discerns a ‘‘fault line’’ of the language system along a syntactic/semantic parameter

Idiom comprehension in French-speaking children and adolescents with Williams syndrome

This study looks at idiom comprehension by French-speaking people with Williams’ syndrome (WS) and metapragmatic knowledge is examined. Idiomatic expressions are a nonliteral form of language where there is a considerable difference between what is said (literal interpretation) and what is meant (idiomatic interpretation). WS is characterized by a relatively preserved formal language, social interest and poor conversational skills. Using this framework, the present study aims to explore the comprehension of idiomatic expressions by 20 participants with WS. Participants performed a story completion task (comprehension task), and a task of metapragmatic knowledge to justify their chosen answers. WS performances were compared to typically developing children with the same verbal mental age. The main results can be summarized as follows: (1) People with WS have difficulties to understand idioms; (3) WS group seems to perform partly as typically developing children for the acquisition of metapragmatic knowledge of linguistic convention: there is a progressive increase in metapragmatic knowledge of linguistic convention as age increased. Our results indicate a delay of acquisition in idiom comprehension in Williams’ syndrome.

Strategy instruction in listening for lower-intermediate learners of French

Second language listening has historically proved to be a difficult skill. Strategy instruction studies have sought to bring about improvements in subjects’ listening but with mixed results. This lack of success might be due to the nature of listening strategy theory and its influence on conceptualizations of listening strategy instruction. The current study, based on an initial descriptive investigation of a specific population of learners, measured the effects of strategy instruction on both the listening performance and self-efficacy of 68 lower-intermediate learners of French in England, against a comparison group. Moreover, the effects of high- and low-scaffolded interventions were compared. Results suggest that the program improved listening proficiency and learners’ confidence about listening. Implications for pedagogy and strategy theory are discussed.

Designing Year 12 strategy training in listening and writing: from theory to practice

This article outlines some of the key issues involved in developing a programme of strategy training for learners of French, in listening and in writing. It highlights the theoretical perspectives and research findings on listening and writing that informed the selection of strategies to teach learners and thence the development of appropriate materials. Examples of these materials are given as well as advice regarding their use. The article concludes with suggestions for how strategy training might be incorporated into teachers' own work with learners.