Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss

<b>Background:</b> Children with hearing loss have been found to have significantly more behavioral and emotional challenges than their typically hearing peers, though these outcomes are variable at the individual level. Working memory deficits have been found to relate to executive func...

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Main Authors: Dorothy A. White, Elizabeth Adams Costa, Nancy Mellon, Meredith Ouellette, Sharlene Wilson Ottley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-03-01
Series:Journal of Clinical Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/6/1637
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author Dorothy A. White
Elizabeth Adams Costa
Nancy Mellon
Meredith Ouellette
Sharlene Wilson Ottley
author_facet Dorothy A. White
Elizabeth Adams Costa
Nancy Mellon
Meredith Ouellette
Sharlene Wilson Ottley
author_sort Dorothy A. White
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background:</b> Children with hearing loss have been found to have significantly more behavioral and emotional challenges than their typically hearing peers, though these outcomes are variable at the individual level. Working memory deficits have been found to relate to executive functioning and overall emotion regulation, leading to behavior challenges. Language development is essential for development of social relationships and communicating one’s needs and this may lead to distress when children cannot communicate effectively. Based on prior findings in children with hearing loss and their typically hearing peers, working memory and language skills were hypothesized to be related to parent and teacher report of socio-emotional functioning. <b>Methods:</b> Participants were 35 children with hearing loss (66% female, M = 5.17 years old, SD = ±1.97) whose language, working memory, and socio-emotional functioning were evaluated during the course of treatment and educational planning. <b>Results:</b> Bivariate analyses indicated that working memory was related to a number of socio-emotional domains (e.g., functional communication, atypicality, withdrawal), as were language scores (e.g., social skills, inattention). The direction of these associations was such that stronger working memory and language skills were related to more regulated socio-emotional functioning. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study is limited in generalizability by size and the relative homogeneity of the sample. A call to action of the current study includes more education with regard to profiles and presentations of children with hearing loss, and an early focus on socio-emotional learning to foster the development of regulatory skills.
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spelling doaj.art-7235d14b78bb443d8ea79412a08aae542024-03-27T13:47:55ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832024-03-01136163710.3390/jcm13061637Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing LossDorothy A. White0Elizabeth Adams Costa1Nancy Mellon2Meredith Ouellette3Sharlene Wilson Ottley4The River School, 4880 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, DC 20007, USAThe River School, 4880 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, DC 20007, USAThe River School, 4880 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, DC 20007, USAThe River School, 4880 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, DC 20007, USAThe River School, 4880 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, DC 20007, USA<b>Background:</b> Children with hearing loss have been found to have significantly more behavioral and emotional challenges than their typically hearing peers, though these outcomes are variable at the individual level. Working memory deficits have been found to relate to executive functioning and overall emotion regulation, leading to behavior challenges. Language development is essential for development of social relationships and communicating one’s needs and this may lead to distress when children cannot communicate effectively. Based on prior findings in children with hearing loss and their typically hearing peers, working memory and language skills were hypothesized to be related to parent and teacher report of socio-emotional functioning. <b>Methods:</b> Participants were 35 children with hearing loss (66% female, M = 5.17 years old, SD = ±1.97) whose language, working memory, and socio-emotional functioning were evaluated during the course of treatment and educational planning. <b>Results:</b> Bivariate analyses indicated that working memory was related to a number of socio-emotional domains (e.g., functional communication, atypicality, withdrawal), as were language scores (e.g., social skills, inattention). The direction of these associations was such that stronger working memory and language skills were related to more regulated socio-emotional functioning. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study is limited in generalizability by size and the relative homogeneity of the sample. A call to action of the current study includes more education with regard to profiles and presentations of children with hearing loss, and an early focus on socio-emotional learning to foster the development of regulatory skills.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/6/1637hearing losschildhoodworking memorylanguagesocio-emotional
spellingShingle Dorothy A. White
Elizabeth Adams Costa
Nancy Mellon
Meredith Ouellette
Sharlene Wilson Ottley
Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
Journal of Clinical Medicine
hearing loss
childhood
working memory
language
socio-emotional
title Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
title_full Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
title_fullStr Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
title_full_unstemmed Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
title_short Working Memory and Language Relate to Report of Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children with Hearing Loss
title_sort working memory and language relate to report of socio emotional functioning in children with hearing loss
topic hearing loss
childhood
working memory
language
socio-emotional
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/6/1637
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