Bridging the Communication Gap: Pragmatics and Interactional Dynamics in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

Auteurs

Mazzocconi C, Hidalgo C, Hallart C, Roman S, Bertrand R, Lancia L, Schön D

Les auteurs en lien sont membres de l'INS.

Équipes

D-CAP

Résumé

Purpose: Children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) often face challenges in everyday social communication, even when they achieve good auditory recovery through hearing technologies. These difficulties, particularly in pragmatic and interactional domains, can affect peer relationships, educational outcomes, and quality of life. This study aims to characterize interactional and discourse-level challenges in DHH children with functional auditory access to inform targeted interventions. Method: We analyzed dyadic child–adult interactions involving nine DHH and 13 typically hearing (TH) children (ages 6–11 years), all using oral language. The DHH group included users of bilateral cochlear implants (CIs), bimodal devices (CI + hearing aid), and bilateral hearing aids. Each child interacted with an adult in a referential (treasure-hunting) task, alternated with child-led subtasks (e.g., storytelling). We adopted a multilevel analysis approach ranging from acoustics to pragmatics: acoustic features, turn-taking, laughter and their convergence, and dialogue acts. Results: Turn-taking and acoustic alignment (fundamental frequency, intensity, syllable rate) were similar across groups.

Purpose: Children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) often face challenges in everyday social communication, even when they achieve good auditory recovery through hearing technologies. These difficulties, particularly in pragmatic and interactional domains, can affect peer relationships, educational outcomes, and quality of life. This study aims to characterize interactional and discourse-level challenges in DHH children with functional auditory access to inform targeted interventions. Method: We analyzed dyadic child–adult interactions involving nine DHH and 13 typically hearing (TH) children (ages 6–11 years), all using oral language. The DHH group included users of bilateral cochlear implants (CIs), bimodal devices (CI + hearing aid), and bilateral hearing aids. Each child interacted with an adult in a referential (treasure-hunting) task, alternated with child-led subtasks (e.g., storytelling). We adopted a multilevel analysis approach ranging from acoustics to pragmatics: acoustic features, turn-taking, laughter and their convergence, and dialogue acts. Results: Turn-taking and acoustic alignment (fundamental frequency, intensity, syllable rate) were similar across groups.

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