Greg Leigh | Macquarie University (original) (raw)

Papers by Greg Leigh

PLOS ONE, Mar 16, 2023

Background Often considered an "invisible disability", hearing loss is one of the most prevalent ... more Background Often considered an "invisible disability", hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases and the third leading cause for years lived with disability worldwide. Hearing loss has substantial impacts on communication, psychological wellbeing, social connectedness, cognition, quality of life, and economic independence. The Hearing impairment in Adults: a Longitudinal Outcomes Study (HALOS) aims to evaluate the: (1) impacts of hearing devices (hearing aids and/or cochlear implants), (2) differences in timing of these interventions and in long-term outcomes between hearing aid and cochlear implant users, and (3) cost-effectiveness of early intervention for adult-onset hearing loss among hearing device users. Materials and methods HALOS is a mixed-methods study collecting cross-sectional and longitudinal data on health and social outcomes from 908 hearing aid and/or cochlear implant users aged �40 years, recruited from hearing service providers across Australia. The quantitative component will involve an online survey at baseline (time of recruitment), 24-months, and 48-months and will collect audiological, health, psychosocial, functional and employment outcomes using validated instruments. The qualitative component will be conducted in a subset of participants at baseline and involve semi-structured interviews to understand the patient journey and perspectives on the Australian hearing service model.

Oxford University Press eBooks, Aug 1, 2015

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Jun 15, 2006

Four experiments examined the utility of real-time text in supporting deaf students' learning fro... more Four experiments examined the utility of real-time text in supporting deaf students' learning from lectures in postsecondary (Experiments 1 and 2) and secondary classrooms (Experiments 3 and 4). Experiment 1 compared the effects on learning of sign language interpreting, real-time text (C-Print), and both. Real-time text alone led to significantly higher performance by deaf students than the other two conditions, but performance by deaf students in all conditions was significantly below that of hearing peers who saw lectures without any support services. Experiment 2 compared interpreting and two forms of real-time text, C-Print and Communication Access Real-Time Translation, at immediate testing and after a 1-week delay (with study notes). No significant differences among support services were obtained at either testing. Experiment 3 also failed to reveal significant effects at immediate or delayed testing in a comparison of real-time text, direct (signed) instruction, and both. Experiment 4 found no significant differences between interpreting and interpreting plus real-time text on the learning of either new words or the content of television programs. Alternative accounts of the observed pattern of results are considered, but it is concluded that neither sign language interpreting nor real-time text have any inherent, generalized advantage over the other in supporting deaf students in secondary or postsecondary settings. Providing deaf students with both services simultaneously does not appear to provide any generalized benefit, at least for the kinds of materials utilized here. Deaf students enrolled in general educational settings frequently require classroom support services if they are to realize their academic potential. Despite decades of new ideas coming into (and passing out of) vogue, however, a variety of evidence suggests that students with significant hearing losses continue to lag behind hearing peers in a variety of academic domains and across placement settings (e.g.,

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Mar 27, 2008

Caption rate and text reduction are factors that appear to affect the comprehension of captions b... more Caption rate and text reduction are factors that appear to affect the comprehension of captions by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These 2 factors are confounded in everyday captioning; rate (in words per minute) is slowed by text reduction. In this study, caption rate and text reduction were manipulated independently in 2 experiments to assess any differential effects and possible benefits for comprehension by deaf and hard-of-hearing adults. Volunteers for the study included adults with a range of reading levels, self-reported hearing status, and different communication and language preferences. Results indicate that caption rate (at 130, 180, 230 words per minute) and text reduction (at 84%, 92%, and 100% original text) have different effects for different adult users, depending on hearing status, age, and reading level. In particular, reading level emerges as a dominant factor: more proficient readers show better comprehension than poor readers and are better able to benefit from caption rate and, to some extent, text reduction modifications. This research was administered by the University of Western Sydney in collaboration with the Australian Caption Centre, Australian Hearing, and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. The authors wish to thank Helen Brown, Sharan Westcott, Jim Brown, and Donna-Mae Schwarz at Australian Hearing for arranging for hearing tests for participants, as required; Chris Mikul, Lydia Venetis, Philip Bilton-Smith, and Gordon Dickinson at the Australian Caption Centre for captioning the videotapes used in these studies, providing instruction for MARCS Auditory Laboratories research assistants, and providing AUSLAN interpreters where necessary; Kathy Wright at the Deaf Education Network, for arranging and providing AUSLAN interpretation as required; and all of the participants for their precious time and cooperation. A.V. was at the Australian Caption Centre at the time the study was conducted. No conflicts of interest were reported. Correspondence should be sent to Denis Burnham,

Ear and Hearing, Sep 1, 2013

Objectives-To address the question of whether, on a population level, early detection and amplifi... more Objectives-To address the question of whether, on a population level, early detection and amplification improve outcomes of children with hearing impairment. Design-All families of children who were born between 2002 and 2007, and who presented for hearing services below 3 years of age at Australian Hearing pediatric centers in New South Wales, Victoria and Southern Queensland were invited to participate in a prospective study on outcomes. Children's speech, language, functional and social outcomes were assessed at 3 years of age, using a battery of age-appropriate tests. Demographic information relating to the child, family, and educational intervention was solicited through the use of custom-designed questionnaires. Audiological data were collected from the national database of Australian Hearing and records held at educational intervention agencies for children. Regression analysis was used to investigate the effects of each of 15 predictor variables, including age of amplification, on outcomes. Results-Four hundred and fifty-one children enrolled in the study, 56% of whom received their first hearing-aid fitting before 6 months of age. Based on clinical records, 44 children (10%) were diagnosed with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. There were 107 children (24%) reported to have additional disabilities. At 3 years of age, 317 children (70%) were hearing-aid users and 134 children (30%) used cochlear implants. Based on parent reports, about 71% used an aural/oral mode of communication, and about 79% used English as the spoken language at home. Children's performance scores on standardized tests administered at 3 years of age were used in a factor analysis to derive a global development factor score. On average, the global score of hearingimpaired children was more than one standard deviation (SD) below the mean of normal-hearing

Oxford University Press eBooks, Sep 18, 2012

... Title Curriculum: Cultural and Communicative Contexts Author(s) Power, Des; Leigh, Gregory R.... more ... Title Curriculum: Cultural and Communicative Contexts Author(s) Power, Des; Leigh, Gregory R. Date Last Updated Monday, November 2, 2009 Statistics are for the period between Tuesday, September 1, 2009 and Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Set a new date range Start Date 1 ...

Pediatrics, Sep 1, 2017

Universal newborn hearing screening has been implemented to detect permanent childhood hearing lo... more Universal newborn hearing screening has been implemented to detect permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL) early, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes through early treatment. However, there is disagreement between studies on the size of this benefit and in some cases whether it is significantly different from 0. There have been no studies of sufficient size in which researchers have determined reliably whether the effect varies with degree of PCHL. We aimed to explore how intervention timing influences 5-year language in children with PCHL. METHODS: Via a prospective study of 350 children, we used standard multiple regression analyses to investigate the effect of age at intervention or hearing screening on language outcomes after allowing for the effects of nonverbal IQ, degree of PCHL, sex, birth weight, maternal education, additional disabilities, and communication mode. RESULTS: The benefit of early intervention for language development increased as hearing loss increased. Children whose amplification started at age 24 months had poorer language than those whose amplification started at 3 months. The difference was larger for 70-dB HL (−11.8 score points; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: −18.7 to −4.8) than for 50-dB HL (−6.8; 95% CI: −10.8 to −2.8). Children who received cochlear implants at 24 months had poorer language than those implanted at 6 months (−21.4; 95% CI: −33.8 to −9.0). There was no significant effect of screening on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Early intervention improves language outcomes, thereby lending support to streamlining clinical pathways to ensure early amplification and cochlear implantation after diagnosis.