Purpose: Intraword variability designates the phenomenon that a particular target word is produced variably by a child at one point in the child's development. In this study, the amount of intraword variability is studied longitudinally in children with auditory brainstem implants (ABIs). Auditory brainstem implantation is a relative recent technique in pediatric hearing restoration. Therefore, little is known about the phonological development of these children's speech.
Method: The intraword variability is investigated in three children with ABI, in comparison to children with cochlear implants, matched on lexical development. Intraword variability is measured using relative entropy in order to take into account the frequency distribution in children's productions.
Result: Results showed considerable variation between the three children with ABI. Still, all children had higher levels of intraword variability in their spontaneous speech productions as compared to children with cochlear implants.
Conclusion: It seems that children with ABI are lagging behind their phonological development in reference to children with cochlear implants.