Project team members:

• Assoc. Prof. Gordana Hržica, PhD
• Assoc. Prof. Luka Bonetti, PhD
• Assis. Prof. Marina Olujić Tomazin, PhD
• Ivana Šimić, PhD
• Tomislav Radošević, assistant

Associates:

• Sara Košutar, PhD

This project is aimed at assessment of language skills, narrative and phonological skills in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) preschool and primary school age children. International research reveals significant gaps in the language development of DHH children compared to their hearing peers, particularly in phonological and narrative abilities. The project has three main objectives: (1) assessing the developmental trajectory of phonological skills in DHH children, (2) examining their narrative abilities while identifying the linguistic and environmental factors that shape these skills, and (3) creating a digital database of audio-recorded narratives from this population. By establishing the first digital corpus of narrative samples from deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Croatian, this project makes an important scientific contribution to cross-linguistic research from the Croatian language area. It represents one of the first systematic investigations of narrative skills of DHH children in Croatia, advancing our understanding of the factors that support narrative development in this population. The project's longitudinal approach to tracking phonological skill development offers valuable insights into developmental patterns within this clinical group. Additionally, the newly developed phonological assessment materials have direct applications for speech therapy practice. Overall, this project marks a significant advancement in understanding language development among children with hearing impairments in both Croatian and international contexts, while laying the groundwork for future research and clinical initiatives.

The project makes a significant scientific contribution to the systematic study of language development in hard-of-hearing and deaf children within the Croatian linguistic context. The project represents one of the first systematic studies of narrative skills in children with hearing loss in the Republic of Croatia. An additional scientific contribution stems from the examination of linguistic and environmental factors that influence the level of narrative skills. Furthermore, the creation of the first digital corpus of storytelling by deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the Croatian language represents a lasting scientific resource that will be relevant for future domestic and international research. The professional contribution of the project is reflected in the development and adaptation of materials for assessing phonological skills, which have direct applicability in speech-language pathology diagnostics and therapy. The digital availability of these materials further increases their value for clinical and educational practice. The obtained results can contribute to the development of more precise and individualized speech-language therapy guidelines.