Conversational-Communicative Experience and Theory of Mind in Taiwanese Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

This study examined theory-of-mind (ToM) development in Taiwanese deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children with early hearing provisions, extending prior evidence from Western contexts. We specifically tested whether conversational-communicative experience, indexed by DHH children's accumulated hearing experience, predicts ToM through language competence and explored what ToM sequence characterizes Taiwanese DHH...

Audiologists and early-intervention teams should reinforce to families that rich conversational participation — not just device fitting — is important for deaf and hard-of-hearing children's social-cognitive development.

This study adds cross-cultural evidence that conversational access, independent of technology provision, is a key driver of social-cognitive milestones in deaf and hard-of-hearing children, strengthening the case for family-centered communication counseling.

1. 01Taiwanese deaf and hard-of-hearing children with greater conversational-communicative experience showed stronger theory-of-mind skills.
2. 02Early hearing provisions (e.g., hearing aids, cochlear implants) alone did not fully account for theory-of-mind development.
3. 03Findings extend prior (largely Western) evidence to a Taiwanese cultural and linguistic context.
4. 04Theory of mind underpins broader social skills, empathy, and academic success.
5. 05Implications point to family communication coaching as a complement to audiological intervention.

PMID

42485497

DOI

10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00905.

Journal

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Taiwanese deaf and hard-of-hearing children with early hearing provisions

Intervention

Conversational-communicative experience (as an exposure variable)

Comparator

Deaf/hard-of-hearing children with less conversational-communicative experience