Crowe Kathryn, McLeod Sharynne, McKinnon David H, Ching Teresa Y C
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2014 Jul;45(3):234-47. doi: 10.1044/2014_LSHSS-12-0106.
The authors sought to investigate the influence of a comprehensive range of factors on the decision making of caregivers of children with hearing loss regarding the use of speech, the use of sign, spoken language multilingualism, and spoken language choice. This is a companion article to the qualitative investigation described in Crowe, Fordham, McLeod, and Ching (2014).
Through a questionnaire, 177 caregivers of 157 Australian children with hearing loss (ages 3;5 to 9;4 [years;months], Mage = 6;6) rated the importance of a range of potential influences on their decision making regarding their children's communication. The majority of children were reported to use speech (96.6%) as part or all of their communication system, with fewer children reported to use sign (20.9%). Few children used more than one spoken language (8.3%).
Proportional analyses and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Overall, caregivers' decisions were influenced by their children's audiological and intervention characteristics, communication with those around them, community participation, access to intervention and education services in English, and concerns about their children's future lives. The advice of speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and specialist teachers was more important to caregivers than advice from medical practitioners and nonprofessionals.
Caregivers' decision making regarding communication mode and language use is influenced by factors that are not equally weighted and that relate to child, family, community, and advice from others. Knowledge of these factors can assist professionals in supporting caregivers making choices regarding communication.
作者试图研究一系列综合因素对听力损失儿童照料者在言语使用、手语使用、口语多语现象及口语选择等方面决策的影响。本文是克罗、福特汉姆、麦克劳德和钦（2014年）所描述的定性研究的配套文章。
通过问卷调查，177名澳大利亚听力损失儿童（年龄3岁5个月至9岁4个月，平均年龄6岁6个月）的照料者对一系列可能影响其关于孩子沟通决策的因素的重要性进行了评分。据报告，大多数儿童（96.6%）将言语作为其沟通系统的一部分或全部，较少儿童（20.9%）使用手语。很少有儿童使用不止一种口语（8.3%）。
进行了比例分析和探索性因素分析。总体而言，照料者的决策受到孩子的听力学和干预特征、与周围人的沟通、社区参与、获得英语干预和教育服务的机会以及对孩子未来生活的担忧等因素的影响。言语病理学家、听力学家和专科教师的建议对比医生和非专业人士的建议，对照料者更为重要。
照料者在沟通方式和语言使用方面的决策受到多种因素的影响，这些因素的权重不同，且与孩子、家庭、社区以及他人的建议有关。了解这些因素有助于专业人员支持照料者做出关于沟通的选择。
