LM112 - Early Music Training During the Critical Period for Children with Hearing Loss

Abstract:
The benefits of music training for children with typical hearing as well as those with hearing loss has been documented. Applying early music training during the critical period is of particular interest for infants who receive altered acoustic experiences through hearing assistive technology. The Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) musical training is ideally suited for this population because of the daily music exposure, strong parental involvement, and repetitive exposure to musical concepts. Research findings following SECE with infants/toddlers suggests that early music training can enhance music perception as well as social and language skills for infants with hearing loss.

Summary:
There is considerable research documenting the benefits of music instruction in adults as well as in children. One line of research has focused on the relationship of language and music, both of which require rhythm, in order to convey meaning. They both stem from smaller units – syllables and musical beats. Furthermore, gaining mastery of Language and Music has remarkable similarities, including precise movements, repetitive practice and focused attention. There is a need to evaluate this link in young children, particularly during very early development. The Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) program, developed in 1989 opened the door for formal music instruction for infants/toddlers, ages birth to three. When considering music training in childhood, the first three years of life are recognized as a critical period for auditory development. Children as young as three months demonstrate a preference for maternal voice and respond to certain prosodic features of language and simple musical pieces (Trehub, 2003). It can be hypothesized that an intensive musical experience for young children may result in enhanced perceptual abilities that apply not only to music but also to speech reception of fine acoustic cues which may in turn facilitate speech and language development. The SECE music training program has shown promise with infants as young as six months. Compared to a control group that received passive music training (just listening), infants who were enrolled SECE musical training with active participation had significant gains in social and communication development (Gerry, Unrau, and Trainor, 2012).

The Baby TEMPO (Training Early Music through Parental Observation) program was developed to evaluate the effects the SECE musical training for infants/toddlers with and without typical hearing using parent observation and behavioral assessments. The project included babies, ages 5 to 36 months with normal (N=5) and impaired hearing (N=5) who participated in six weekly, one-hour sessions of SECE training and a control group of similar age babies (N=5), who received no training. The parents in the SECE training were also instructed to play the songs used in training from a miniature speaker as often as possible throughout the day. During each class, the parents engaged their children by modeling the actions and reinforcing any attempts to participate. At the conclusion of each class, they noted their observations in a journal. These parent-child interactions would continue to develop at home throughout the six weeks of training. Using a state-of-the art Tobii Pro Eye Tracking System, gaze patterns during familiar and unfamiliar music were measured pre- and post-training. Analysis of the eye-tracking results as well as parent journals, language assessments, and video coding of behavioral responses suggested that were positive outcomes, but multiple metrics were necessary to capture the training effects across infants. Overall, the findings suggested the need for further exploration of SECE training benefits for children with hearing loss, especially those with cochlear implants, during the critical period of development to facilitate music perception as well as secondary benefits of socialization and language development.

Brief Summary of Clinical Takeaways:
The clinical takeaway for this session is the importance of early music training for infants/toddlers with hearing loss through an established curricula specifically designed to empower the parent as the teacher through daily musical activities that will can lead into enjoyment of a lifetime of music experiences.