Auditory recognition in toddlers with typical hearing and toddlers with hearing loss using the Hebrew version of the Mr. Potato Head Task

Objective: This study describes the adaptation of the Mr. Potato Head Task into Hebrew and explores the development of word and sentence recognition in toddlers with typical hearing (TH) and toddlers with hearing loss (HL).

Design: Toddlers manipulated Mr. Potato Head according to auditory instructions.

Study sample: One hundred and seventeen toddlers with TH and 28 toddlers with HL, age 23–48 months.

Results: Internal consistency scores in TH toddlers – words: α = 0.85, sentences: α = 0.87; in toddlers with HL, words: α = 0.88; sentences: α = 0.84. The findings showed a clear upward trajectory in the TH toddlers, plateauing at age four. Toddlers with HL showed poorer performance in general, but exhibited a similar trajectory, albeit with greater individual variability. Toddlers with HL performed less well than age-matched toddlers with TH, but performed at the same level as toddlers with TH matched for hearing experience. Severity of HL was associated with performance level.

Conclusions: The Hebrew-adapted version can provide a developmental assessment of word and sentence recognition tasks in both groups of toddlers. These findings have important implications for toddlers with HL for whom assessment tools at the sentence level are rare.