Temporal Properties of Vocal Turn-Taking in Parent-Toddler Interactions of Toddlers With Cochlear Implants

Background and Objectives This study investigated the temporal characteristics of vocal turn-taking between hearing mothers and their toddlers with cochlear implants (CIs) and examined the relationship between vocal turn-taking patterns and language development.Subjects and Method Participants included 10 mother-toddler dyads with CIs and 12 dyads with typical hearing (TH). A 20-minute free-play interaction was recorded using a digital recorder. Temporal properties of vocal turn-taking were analyzed using the Praat software, focusing on speaker vocalization duration, the proportion of coordinated vocal interactions, the duration of vocal turn-taking sequences, and inter-speaker switching pauses.Results No significant differences were found in speaker vocalization duration in mothers or toddlers between the CI and TH groups. However, toddlers with TH engaged in a significantly higher proportion of coordinated vocal interactions with their mothers than toddlers with CIs. The duration of vocal turn-taking sequences and inter-speaker switching pauses did not differ significantly between the two groups. Notably, in the CI group, a higher proportion of coordinated vocal interactions was significantly associated with better language scores.Conclusion These findings indicate that while the overall temporal properties of vocalizations and turn-taking sequences are comparable between toddlers with CIs and those with TH, coordinated vocal interactions occur more frequently in the TH group. The significant association between coordinated vocal interactions and language development in toddlers with CIs underscores the need for targeted strategies to enhance these interactions and support language acquisition.