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Semin Hear 2023; 44(S 01): S3-S16
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1764138
Review Article

The Importance of High-Frequency Bandwidth on Speech and Language Development in Children: A Review of Patricia Stelmachowicz's Contributions to Pediatric Audiology

Elizabeth A. Walker
1   Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
› Author Affiliations Funding NIH/NIDCD R01 DC019081 (PI: Elizabeth Walker).
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Abstract

We review the literature related to Patricia Stelmachowicz's research in pediatric audiology, specifically focusing on the influence of audibility in language development and acquisition of linguistic rules. Pat Stelmachowicz spent her career increasing our awareness and understanding of children with mild to severe hearing loss who use hearing aids. Using a variety of novel experiments and stimuli, Pat and her colleagues produced a robust body of evidence to support the hypothesis that development moderates the role of frequency bandwidth on speech perception, particularly for fricative sounds. The prolific research that came out of Pat's lab had several important implications for clinical practice. First, her work highlighted that children require access to more high-frequency speech information than adults in the detection and identification of fricatives such as /s/ and /z/. These high-frequency speech sounds are important for morphological and phonological development. Consequently, the limited bandwidth of conventional hearing aids may delay the formation of linguistic rules in these two domains for children with hearing loss. Second, it emphasized the importance of not merely applying adult findings to the clinical decision-making process in pediatric amplification. Clinicians should use evidence-based practices to verify and provide maximum audibility for children who use hearing aids to acquire spoken language.

Keywords

pediatric audiology - language - speech


Publication History

Article published online:
01 March 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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