Abstract: Objective To investigate the vowel's nasalance and contact quotient (CQ) in children with hearing loss. Methods 57 subjects were divided to 3 groups: profound hearing loss children with hearing aids (HA, n=19), profound hearing loss children with cochlear implant (CI, n=19) and children without hearing loss (n=19). With the help of NV and electroglottography (EGG), the subjects' nasalance and CQ were recorded when they said /a/, /æ/, /i/, /o/, /u/. Results There was no significant differences among the 3 groups on nasalance (P>0.05). There was significant difference among 5 vowels on nasalance, ranked as /u/, /o/, /æ/, /i/, and /a/ (P<0.001). There was significant difference among 3 groups on CQ, ranked as HA, normal, and CI group (P<0.001). There was significant difference on CQ among 5 vowels,ranked as /i/, /u/, /æ/, /o/, and /a/ (P<0.001). Conclusion The voice and resonance should be assessed before speech therapy, which the speech therapy starts from the most correct vowel for children with profound hearing loss.

Key words: hearing loss, vowels, nasalance, contact quotient