AbstractsCommunication

Ear asymmetry for dichotic digits was used to indicate speech laterality in 19 hearing-impaired and 19 normal-hearing children. Sequences of 2, 4 and 6 digits were also presented monaurally. Whereas for the normal-hearing group right-ear dichotic scores were significantly superior, inter-subject variability resulted in a non-significant right-ear trend for the hearing-impaired group, with individuals showing marked right or left-ear advantage. The groups did not differ significantly in relative right-left hand proficiency. No correlation was found between hand and ear laterality in either group, nor between degree of ear asymmetry and vocabulary scores for hearing-impaired subjects. Discrimination of a dichotic pair by the latter subjects rarely occurred, with one digit apparently masking or suppressing the other. Prediction of speech lateralization in hearing-impaired children from dichotic digit scores was not recommended.