Parent-Child Early Approaches to Raising Language Skills (PEARLS) Intervention

Pilot Intervention to Improve Language in Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants

The purpose of this research study is to develop and evaluate a parent training program, which aims to improve language. The study is being conducted to see if teaching parents positive parenting techniques and behavior strategies will improve the rate of language development in children with cochlear implants when compared to standard speech therapy (e.g., auditory-verbal therapy).

Inclusion Criteria:

1. children who are severely to profoundly deaf and a cochlear implant candidate,
2. children who are 12 to 48 months,
3. English or Spanish as primary language spoken at home,
4. families educating their children in spoken language,
5. children who pass the cognitive screening, scoring 75 or above on the screening measure

Exclusion Criteria:

1. parents who do not consent to being videotaped,
2. children with moderate to severe developmental delays (as assessed using the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2) 2nd Edition for children ages 0 to 24 months or the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised),
3. children with significant syndromes (e.g., CHARGE, autism, cerebral palsy) or severe brain abnormalities,
4. families who do not receive their auditory-verbal therapy from University of Miami (UM). Further, children who have already completed the BDI-2 within the past year as part of their Early Steps (Florida Early Intervention) program will not have it re-administered.