The narrative skills of primary school children with a unilateral hearing impairment

The discourse skills of four boys with a unilateral hearing impairment (UHI), aged 7.2-10.7 years, were appraised over a 2-year period by examining their oral narrative use. All subjects exhibited delayed narrative skills, including features typical of children with a language disorder. These findings of language difficulties within this population were at variance with previous findings showing that children with UHI do not experience language problems. The subjects' language skills were discussed in relation to their academic performance. The implications of the findings for the process of narrative assessment were also discussed.