MA, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Allied Health Sciences : Speech-Language Pathology

A lack of research exists regarding the language outcomes of children who have cochlear implants (CI) and an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe the receptive and expressive language outcomes of children with CIs and ASD as measured by the Preschool Language Scale, 4th Edition (PLS-4). The PLS-4 was administered to one 5-year old male child with a CI and ASD and a control subject with normal hearing (matched by age and developmental profile). Results were inconclusive when measuring language growth from pre to post implant language functioning. The study, however, did find that children with a CI and ASD may continue to have significantly lower language levels compared to their same-disabled hearing counterparts. This study has clear implications for the prognosis and treatment outcomes of this dual diagnosis. Finally, this study calls for continued research regarding this unique population.

Committee: Sandra Grether PhD (Committee Chair); Jo-Anne Prendeville EdD (Committee Member); Jareen Meinzen-Derr PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of adult cochlear implant (CI) users, implanted prior to the age of 10-years-old. Seven adult CI users were recruited. In-depth, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted to explore participants' experiences and identities as CI users. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, through which six group experimental themes were generated: (a) CIs and identity,” (b) social isolation, (c) advocacy, (d), costs and benefits of integration into the hearing world, and (e) “the future of CIs.” This study's findings highlighted participants' perspectives on living with CIs, the challenges they face, their process of identity exploration, and the ways in which their experience as CI users have influenced their hopes for the future. Several theoretical and practical implications are derived from this study's results, such as need for improvements in healthcare equity and CI technology, better dissemination of CI information within the medical and Deaf communities, and recommendations for supporting the evolution of the burgeoning broader community of CI users. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Melissa Kennedy (Committee Chair); Naama Tsach (Committee Member); Dana Waters (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology; Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2020, College of Education and Human Services

Hearing parents of children who are deaf face many complex decisions that have life long ramifications. The first decision is whether or not to pursue cochlear implantation, which has become a physician preferred intervention recommendation for deafness. Cochlear implants can provide access to sound that improves auditory experiences. This provides optimism for the facilitation of academic, social, and communication development. The problem lies in the variability found in the consistency of the use of cochlear implants. Non-use and inconsistent use of the device is related to less than favorable speech, language, and academic outcomes. There is little understanding of what facilitates or diminishes the successful use of the device. This narrative research study included an exploration of the lived experience of seven hearing parents who are raising at least one child with a cochlear implant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Self-Determination Theory was used as the theoretical framework and social constructivism was the interpretive paradigm. The findings indicated that in six out of seven narratives, the parents' interactions and relationships with medical and school personnel in various contexts, did not support the parents' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Recommendations for practitioners include suggestions for creating an environment that is supportive of all parents' basic psychological needs. These recommendations include providing complete, unbiased information to parents of children who are diagnosed with deafness, taking the perspective of the patient or parent, treating families with respect, allowing time to answer parents' questions, and implementing basic principles of client/patient-centered care, to help children who are diagnosed with deafness reach their full developmental potential.

Committee: Karla Hamlen Mansour PhD (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta PhD (Other); Tachelle Banks PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Domholdt EdD (Committee Member); Karl Wheatley PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Rehabilitation

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Psychology

Spoken word recognition often involves the integration of both auditory and visual speech cues. The addition of visual cues is particularly useful for individuals with hearing loss and cochlear implants (CIs), as the auditory signal they perceive is degraded compared to individuals with normal hearing (NH). CI users generally benefit more from visual cues than NH perceivers; however, the underlying neural mechanisms affording them this benefit are not well-understood. The current study sought to identify the neural mechanisms active during auditory-only and audiovisual speech processing in CI users and determine how they differ from NH perceivers. Postlingually deaf experienced CI users and age-matched NH adults completed syllable and word recognition tasks during EEG recording, and the neural data was analyzed for differences in event-related potentials and neural oscillations. The results showed that during phonemic processing in the syllable task, CI users have stronger AV integration, shifting processing away from primary auditory cortex and weighting the visual signal more strongly. During whole-word processing in the word task, early acoustic processing is preserved and similar to NH perceivers, but again displaying robust AV integration. Lipreading ability also predicted suppression of early auditory processing across both CI and NH participants, suggesting that while some neural reorganization may have occurred in CI recipients to improve multisensory integrative processing, visual speech ability leads to reduced sensory processing in primary auditory cortex regardless of hearing status. Findings further support behavioral evidence for strong AV integration in CI users and the critical role of vision in improving speech perception.

Committee: Mark Pitt PhD (Advisor); Antoine Shahin PhD (Committee Member); Aaron Moberly MD (Committee Member); Zeynep Saygin PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology

This thesis examines how pervasive biomedical economies of care have become in the everyday lives of families with children who hear with surgically inserted devices called cochlear implants (CIs). Based on time spent observing the experiences of three such families, including my own, I analyze how contemporary medical epistemologies become entangled both morally and pragmatically in the months and years after diagnosis, surfacing most fluidly at the level of familial relationships. As a way of highlighting the importance of individual family's worlds for negotiating the experience of biomedical ways of knowing, accompanying the text of my thesis is an experiment in visual collaboration among my research participants and myself. In an attempt to find multiple ways of presenting ethnographic research that traces the affective feeling and resonance of my interlocutors' worlds, I have worked with them to take photos of objects they use in their everyday lives. I want to think about image making through photography as a seed for each family's varied resistances to their biotechnological futures. Our acts of collaboration, as experimental and expressive practices, stand as relational proving grounds for cultivating an evolving everyday form of counter-hegemony.

Committee: Stephanie Sadre-Orafai Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Sarah Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Linguistics

Voiceless sibilant fricatives, such as the consonant sounds at the beginning of the English words sea and she, are articulated by forming a narrow constriction between the tongue and the palate, which directs a turbulent jet of air toward the incisors downstream. Thus, the production of these sounds involves the movement of a number of articulators, including the tongue, jaw, and lips; however, the principal method for analyzing the acoustics of sibilant fricatives has been to extract a single “steady state” interval from near its temporal midpoint, and estimate spectral properties of this interval. Consequently, temporal variation in the spectral properties of sibilant fricatives has not been systematically studied. This dissertation investigated the temporal variation of a single spectral property that denotes the most prominent psychoacoustic frequency, i.e. peak ERB-number. The dynamic aspects of peak ERB-number trajectories were analyzed with fifth-order polynomial time growth curve models. A series of analyses revealed a number of novel findings A comparison of English- and Japanese-speaking adults indicated that both language-internal sibilant contrasts are indicated by dynamic properties of peak ERB-number across the time course of the sibilants. A cross-linguistic comparison indicated that the peak ERB-number of a sibilant follows a language-specific trajectory. Next, the development of the sibilant contrast in native English- and Japanese- acquiring children was investigated in terms of peak ERB-number trajectory. The English-acquiring children contrasted the sibilants in terms of similar aspects of peak ERB-number trajectory as the English-speaking adults. Moreover, the extent to which the children differentiated the sibilants increased with age. The analysis of the Japanese-acquiring children was complicated by an apparent developmental regression in the five-year-olds. Effects of vowel context on peak ERB-number trajectory were examined i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Beckman (Advisor); Micha Elsner (Committee Member); Eric Fosler-Lussier (Committee Member); Eric Healy (Committee Member) Subjects: Linguistics

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Allied Health Sciences: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Purpose: Recent work has investigated the use of electric stimuli to evoke auditory steady state responses (ASSR) in cochlear implant (CI) recipients. While more control can be exerted using electric stimuli, acoustic stimuli present natural listening environment for CI users. However, ASSR using acoustic stimuli in the presence of a CI could lead to artifacts. The purpose of this project was to study the characteristics of cochlear implant-related artifacts during sound-field recording of the ASSR. Studying the characteristics of the CI-related artifacts by comparing them with physiological responses from normal hearing participants is an essential step toward the development of signal processing strategies to eliminate/control the artifacts. Design: Five experiments in the present study investigated the characteristics of CI artifacts during sound-field recording of the ASSR using an amplitude modulated (AM) stimulus. Experiment 1 investigated differences between ten normal hearing (NH) participants and ten CI ears in terms of ASSR amplitude versus intensity and onset phase versus intensity. Experiment 2 explored the amplitude versus intensity and onset phase versus intensity relationships for an implant-in-a-box. This investigation allowed the study of the characteristics of CI-related artifacts without physiological components introduced by the human CI user. Experiment 3 investigated correlations between electrophysiological ASSR thresholds and behavioral thresholds to AM stimuli (BTAM) for the NH versus the CI groups. Mean threshold differences were computed to in order to study group differences. Experiment 4 investigated the presence of transducer-related artifacts during ASSR recording in two normal hearing participants via masking. Experiment 5 investigated the effect of manipulation of intensity and external components of the CI on the ASSR recordings in three CI users. Results: Experiment 1 indicated that there were significant differences between (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Keith Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Andrew Dimitrijevic Ph.D. (Committee Member); Peter Scheifele Ph.D. (Committee Member); Fawen Zhang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Allied Health Sciences: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Background: Currently, more than 219,000 people with hearing impairment (HI) worldwide have received a cochlear implant (CI). In spite of the positive effects of early implantation, post-implant speech and language outcomes remain variable. Although some generalizations can be made about post-implant auditory/speech/language performance, neural mechanisms need to be studied to better predict individual prognosis. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has the potential to be a predictor of post-implant speech-language performance in children. Purpose: The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate the possibility of the use of pre-implant fMRI activation to predict children's post-implant auditory, speech and language performance; and (2) to investigate neuroimaging biomarkers of post-implant auditory-speech-language performance in children with HI who receive a CI as measured by clinician-administered tests and parental observation/reports. We hypothesized a significant correlation between pre-implant blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fMRI activation (in response to speech and noise) and test scores for speech, language and hearing performance measured two years after the CI on a post-implant test battery. The test battery included clinician-administered tests such as the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool, Second Edition (CELF-P2) and the Early Speech Perception Test for Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Children (ESP) and parental reports/observations such as the Auditory Skills Checklist (ASC) and the SKI-HI Language Development Scale (SKI-HI LDS). Study Sample: Fourteen children with bilateral severe to profound hearing impairment (HI) were recruited for this study. Participants underwent fMRI scanning before 24 months of age and cochlear implantation before 36 months of age. Data Collection and Analysis: Pre-implant fMRI activation maps in response to speech and noise were correlated with post-implant scores for CELF-P2, ESP, SK (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Keith Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Andrew Dimitrijevic Ph.D. (Committee Member); Scott Holland Ph.D. (Committee Member); Fawen Zhang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology

PHD, Kent State University, 2013, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

The goal of this study was to determine whether sequentially acquired bilateral implants provide improved speech understanding relative to performance with unilateral implants in varying sound source configurations that may more closely represent daily listening environments. Participants were divided into higher and lower performance groups based upon their best unilateral performance on monosyllabic words in quiet and asked to repeat Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise (BKB-SIN) sentences in unilateral and bilateral listening conditions. The sentences were always presented from directly in front, while competing noise was presented from varying locations. Results indicated that the bilateral listening condition yielded significantly better scores compared to the unilateral listening condition across all participants, with the higher performance group’s scores significantly better than for the lower performance group. Both groups had similar gains in performance. No significant differences were observed amongst sound sources, contrary to the original hypothesis. Among demographic variables, only unilateral performance on words in quiet and onset of deafness were highly correlated with bilateral performance. As the initial grouping variable addressed performance in quiet, a second analysis regrouped participants by onset of deafness (pre- vs. postlingual) This regrouping yielded even greater group differences overall, and some noise configurations were now significantly different for the postlingually deafened participants. Taken together, these results suggest that postlingually deafened participants may be able to use higher level binaural processes established prior to deafness and not available to prelingually deafened listeners.

Committee: John Hawks (Advisor); Mark Krumm (Committee Member); Jocelyn Folk (Committee Member); Sloane Burgess (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Wright State University, 2012, School of Professional Psychology

Individuals with disabilities have been the subject of invasive medical procedures throughout history, violating their bodily rights and integrity. Because of a history of abuse, medical procedures performed on individuals with disabilities, especially those who cannot consent, require close scrutiny and analysis. This paper explores three controversial medical procedures performed on individuals with disabilities, which include sterilization, cochlear implants, and growth attenuation. Embedded in each medical procedure mentioned above are social, legal, ethical, and psychological variables that influenced the emergence of each procedure and the receptiveness of society. This project explores each of these variables in detail as it relates to growth attenuation, sterilization, and cochlear implants, with a focus on similar themes surrounding each medical procedure. These themes will then be applied to growth attenuation, a more recent procedure, to search for parallels and to anticipate future directions of the debate and use of the procedure.

Committee: Leon VandeCreek Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Julie Williams Psy.D. (Committee Member); Betty Yung Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cognition and language outcomes for children with cochlear implants and developmental disability and those with developmental disability alone. Language outcomes for the two groups were compared. The subjects consisted of a group of 4 children with cognitive disabilities and cochlear implants and their controls matched on age and cognitive ability. Subjects ranged in age from three to seven years old. Cognitive scores were derived from the non-verbal cognitive subtest from the Revised Gessell Developmental Schedules, and language scores were obtained using the Preschool Language Scale – 4th Edition (PLS-4). Statistical analysis examining the relationship between language and cognitive scores revealed a significant positive correlation between language and cognitive ability for the subject group with developmental disabilities and cochlear implants. There was not a significant relationship for the control group. Children with developmental disabilities and cochlear implants performed significantly below their matched peers with developmental disabilities and normal hearing on language measures. Children with developmental disabilities and normal hearing consistently performed at or above their cognitive level on language measures, while children with developmental disabilities and cochlear implants performed significantly below cognitive level. Although children with cochlear implants did not perform as well as controls with developmental disabilities and normal hearing, qualitative improvements were evident. All children in the cochlear implant subject group demonstrated increased receptive and expressive language skills following implantation, and three out of four of these children also demonstrated improved language quotients when compared to early language testing completed prior to implantation.

Committee: Nancy Creaghead PhD (Committee Chair); Sandra Grether PhD, CCC-SLP (Committee Member); Jareen Meinzen-Derr PhD, MPH (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders

Previous research has suggested that early cochlear implantation before or during the critical language acquisition period leads to better language outcomes in children with typical development. This study asked the question, ‘Do children with developmental disabilities and a cochlear implant have better receptive and expressive language outcomes if they are implanted before 3 years of age than if they are implanted after 3 years of age?' It was hypothesized that if children were implanted before 3 years of age, they would have better receptive and expressive language outcomes than children who were implanted after 3 years of age. Receptive and expressive language skills and developmental levels were assessed. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test was used to assess if a significant difference existed the language quotients between the groups. The results indicated that the children who were implanted before 3 years of age had significantly better receptive and expressive language scores than the children who were implanted after 3 years of age. From the data, there appeared to be a relationship between developmental quotients and language quotients. Limitations included differences in developmental levels, unequal numbers of children between the groups, and differences in age of identification. This study adds support that early cochlear implantation for children with developmental disabilities before the age of 3 years leads to better language outcomes.

Committee: Nancy Creaghead PhD (Committee Chair); Sandra Grether PhD, CCC-SLP (Committee Member); Jareen Meinzen-Derr PhD, MPH (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders

The overall aim of the present research was to perform an exploratory analysis of the relationship between the P1 auditory evoked potential response and residual auditory cortical function as shown by fMRI activation maps in moderate or severe to profoundly hearing impaired subjects. Electrophysiologic and functional neuroimaging evaluations using speech stimuli were conducted on fourteen subjects ages 9-24 months with residual hearing ranging from 85 dBHL to 100 dBHL pure tone average (PTA), in the .5 to 2 KHz range. Electrophysiological testing included evaluation of P1 cortical auditory evoked response with a hearing aid on using a Klatt generated /ba/ stimulus in the soundfield at 75 dBSPL. Subjects unable to wear an amplification device during the testing were stimulated using an Eartone 3A insert earphone at a minimum of 10 dB sensation level based on aided audiometric results. An fMRI paradigm consisting of Narrow Band Noise (NBN) and stories was administered under sedation at the end of a clinical scan in a 3 Tesla system using sound presentation levels of 10 dB sensation level based on audiometric results. Stimuli were interleaved with silence in a block-periodic counterbalanced fMRI design with 30-second on-off intervals. Results were subjected to a correlation analysis to search for a relationship between P1 characteristics and the number of activated fMRI pixels detected within specified regions of interest in the auditory cortex. In addition, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess the prediction of the P1 latency in our sample based on duration of hearing aid use and age at the time of the fitting. Results indicated that although fMRI activation patterns do not exhibit a predictive relationship with P1 latency (r(10) = .038, p = .456), the strength of the auditory BOLD response was inversely correlated with P1 amplitude (rS = -.85, p = .001), suggesting more localized regions of cortical responsivity in subjects with robust P1 waveforms. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Keith PhD (Committee Chair); David Brown PhD (Committee Member); Scott Holland PhD (Committee Member); Peter Scheifele PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Allied Health Sciences : Speech-Language Pathology

This study examined the relationship between educational environment (communication approach and mainstream setting) and receptive and expressive language outcomes for twenty-two children, ages three to six, with developmental disabilities who had received a cochlear implant. Existing data for children with developmental disabilities and cochlear implants are extremely limited. Thus, statistical analyses, including Spearman's rank correlations, General linear model unadjusted and adjusted means, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were conducted on data gathered for the twenty-two children. The data included results of language assessments (PLS-4), results of developmental testing (RGDS), and responses from simple questionnaires completed by caregivers. Analysis attempted to determine the impact that type of communication and mainstreaming (independent variables) had on the receptive and expressive language acquisition and growth of these children (dependent variable). Conclusions drawn from data analyzed include: 1. No clear indication that one educational setting or communication mode produces better language outcome scores for children with developmental disabilities, 2. No clear indication that the longer these children have had their implant, the better their language outcomes, and 3. Enlightenment regarding the importance of more detailed investigation into the parent's goals for their child when considering implantation. Thus, the ability to catch-up that is seen with the language outcomes of typical children with cochlear implants may not be seen in children with developmental disabilities. Findings indicate that, in addition to investigating language outcomes, it is extremely important to explore other positive impacts that the cochlear implant may have on children with developmental disabilities, such as enhanced quality of life, improved behavior, and increased level of arousal to determine the true benefits of implanting children with developmental disabilitie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sandra Grether PhD (Committee Chair); Jareen Meinzen-Derr PhD (Committee Member); Carolyn Sotto PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Language; Special Education; Speech Therapy

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Allied Health Sciences : Speech-Language Pathology

Before and after the decision to implant a child, caretakers and professionals need the guidance of data that document the potential effects cytomegalovirus (CMV) may have upon their child's use of a cochlear implant (CI). This study attempted to contribute to such data through the qualitative analysis of post-implant language abilities of six young children with symptomatic CMV and CI. Receptive and expressive language abilities represented by age-equivalents and language quotients, were obtained from evaluations using the Preschool Language Scale – 4th Edition (PLS-4). Results demonstrated wide variability in receptive and expressive language abilities; however, all scores were significantly below the average range. Three of the four cases with pre-implant scores demonstrated growth in expressive language, but limited gains in receptive language. Analysis of case histories revealed that a diagnosis of cognitive delay may have a significant impact on the language gains after implantation. Findings have implications on the pre implant decision making process, and indicate the need for future research into cognitive processes that limit outcomes and increase variability.

Committee: Sandra Grether Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carolyn Sotto Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nancy Creaghead Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jareen Meinzen-Derr Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology; Health Care; Language Arts; Speech Therapy

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Arts and Sciences : Psychology

Previous research has indicated that neurocognitive factors unrelated to hearing, such as working memory and attention, are important for successful comprehension of degraded speech. For individuals with cochlear implants (CI), who receive an imperfect auditory signal, it is important to understand the factors that lead to success in speech communication with a CI. In the current brain imaging experiment, eleven normal hearing adult participants listened to sentences that were either spoken naturally or digitally degraded to simulate speech heard through a CI. Participants judged the meaningfulness of semantically congruent and incongruent sentences. Brain imaging results suggest that individuals are less able to complete linguistic processing when speech is degraded and sentence meaning is ambiguous, and that higher-order cognitive processes play a significant role in comprehension of degraded speech. When unable to use context to help process difficult-to-understand speech in top-down fashion, resources may become stressed, resulting in less efficient processing.

Committee: C.-Y. Peter Chiu PhD (Committee Chair); Paula Shear PhD (Committee Member); Robert Stutz PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychobiology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Sciences and Disorders

This study investigates the subjective benefits of cochlear implants in children with multiple handicaps according to their primary parent or gaurdian. The study enrolled twenty-one subjects from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who have received a cochlear implant and have been diagnosed with at least one disability in addition to hearing loss. Children of all ages, races, and sex were eligible for participation. Participants in this study were notified of the study through their rehabilitation therapist or through letter. An interview time was then set up. At the interview. parents were asked questions from the designed questionnaire. Audiologic and demographic information was collected via chart review for additional analysis. As more children with multiple handicaps are receiving cochlear implants, it is important to better understand the needs of this population as well as the parents' perception of the benefit to provide them the best services and opprotunities to succeed with a cochlear implant. Results of this study and other related research will improve the quality of services and may lead to greater benefits in children with a cochlear implant and multiple handicaps.

Committee: Dr. Robert Keith (Advisor) Subjects: Health Sciences, Audiology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Engineering : Materials Science

This research thesis describes the efforts undertaken towards the development of a successful polymer electrode based piezoelectric cochlear implant hearing aid device. A thorough review of the cochlear environment and processes resulted in the identification of the requirements of such a device, most critical of which are high sensitivity, small dimensions and flexibility, impedance matching and biocompatibility. Based on these requirements and initial experiments, proper electrode material was identified. Two biomimetic device designs, based on the cochlear basilar membrane (ribbon device) and the cochlear stereocilia (toothbrush device) have been taken into consideration. These devices are based on flexible polymer piezoelectric films, used in the bending/flexure mode of deformation. The material chosen was PVDF, as it is the most sensitive piezoelectric polymer and high quality commercial films are readily available. Polypyrrole was identified as the most appropriate electrode material in working towards developing an all-polymer system. The suitability of Polypyrrole (PPY) material for this application was investigated. It was shown that PPY has similar I-V characteristics as those of the Ni-Cu electrodes. For the cochlear implant application, the devices with PPY electrodes showed much higher voltage responses than those from metal electroded devices. Polypyrrole electrode films, developed, were characterized for adhesion, morphology and structure. Effect of substrate surface pretreatment, heat treatment on the performance of these electrodes was studied. To measure the piezoelectric sensitivity of these devices to acoustic waves, both in-air and underwater measurements were carried out. Devices measured display very high sensitivity in air (several volts for conversational sounds at close range). Dependence of in-air sensitivity on device dimensions and dielectric coating was investigated and seen that substantial amplification can be obtained by increasing t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Rodney Roseman (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Speech Language Pathology

Communicative function is typically impaired among adult cochlear implant (CI) users. Aural rehabilitation, or treatment for hearing loss and/or deafness, is a crucial part of the successful use of an amplification device, such as a CI. Auditory training is one component of an aural rehabilitation plan. Specifically, auditory training is a perceptual learning technique that focuses on improving speech understanding and communicative function among hearing impaired listeners. The present pilot study sought to explore the subjective and objective effects of a computerized auditory training program (Listening and Communication Enhancement, LACE¿¿¿¿¿¿¿; Sweetow & Sabes, 2006) in adult CI-users. Results indicated individual benefit on subjective measures as evidenced by improvement on the Personal Adjustment subscale of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI) and on speech recognition in quiet. CI-users can complete auditory training tasks and show benefit on speech recognition measures and personal perception of hearing abilities.

Committee: Christina Roup PhD (Advisor); Gail Whitelaw PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Audiology; Speech Therapy