| Abstract: |
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The current study is a first investigation reporting the speech production characteristics of an early deafened adult cochlear implant user after a course of speech-language treatment. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The participant is culturally deaf and received the cochlear implant when she was 43 years old. A 24-week ABCABC single-subject treatment programme was conducted addressing articulation, the oral production of printed words, and voice production, with two 4-week segments for each area. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Treatment-specific progress, revealed by untrained stimuli, was made in areas of articulation and oral production of printed words, but not voice production. Formal measures also confirmed the patient's progress. CONCLUSIONS: These results were discussed in relation to how long-term reduction of general auditory input and under-use of the speech production mechanisms can be remediated by technological and behavioural treatment. |
