The Process of Language Development in a Girl Having ANSD

Abstract

We reported the process of language development in a case with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder. This case was diagnosed early as having ANSD by AABR, ABR and OAE.
The patient had received aural habilitation therapy since infancy, but her language development had been profoundly delayed when we met her aged 5 years and 10 months. Hearing loss in the right ear was mild while that in the left ear was within the normal range. Speech audiometry scores also corresponded to the level of her pure tone average. However, it was clear she could acquire auditory information only poorly. Visual communication including fingerspelling had been adopted at her school for hearing-impaired children and had a major positive impact on her language development.
We found that the subject's ability in phonological operation was very low in spite of her pure tone average and good articulation, and we postulate that this might have to do with her ability in auditory temporal processing or temporal resolution. We concluded that for this type of ANSD, we should use visual signs, which help these patients to grasp phonological sequences of speech.
Children diagnosed as ANSD will increase as newborn hearing screening (NHS) becomes more widespread. We should establish evaluation methods for multiple types of ANSD in order to provide patients of each type the appropriate habilitation program from an early stage.