Objectives: The objectives of the current study were to validate the LittlEARS^® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) in Romanian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Romanian version of the questionnaire for Romanian children with normal hearing. The LEESPQ was created and tested for the assessment of preverbal and early verbal skills (0–18 months) in children with normal hearing. Methods: The English version of the LittlEARS^® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) was adapted into Romanian language using a translation/back-translation procedure and validation of the content before applying the questionnaire. The Romanian version was applied to the parents of 232 children with normal hearing, aged between 0 and 18 months. The questionnaire was statistically analyzed to assess its reliability, internal consistency, predictive accuracy, and the influence of gender on children’s scores. Results: Statistical analyses confirmed the LEESPQ’s reliability (α = 0.876) and high predictive accuracy (λ = 0.951). Age correlated strongly with total scores (ρ = 0.67; p < 0.001), supporting the age-dependent progression of speech production milestones. Gender did not significantly affect the scores. Normative curves and minimum expected scores were established for each age group. Conclusions: This study confirmed that the Romanian version of the LEESPQ is a reliable, valid, language-independent instrument, useful in the assessment of language development in children with normal hearing, aged up to 18 months.

For individuals with conductive or mixed hearing loss, a bone conduction system can be a very effective treatment option. These systems bypass the outer and middle ear to send sound vibrations directly to the cochlea. This offers a natural sound quality for recipients. BONEBRIDGE is the first active, intact skin hearing implant for bone conduction stimulation, ideal for moderate to severe conduction hearing losses. It is a semi-implantable system, consisting of a surgical implantable part and an externally worn audio processor. Biomaterials used proved their safety, with very low rate of medical complications (skin infections, chronic suppurative otitis media, biofilm formation or extrusion).

The article presents the results of the national project “Masks with echo”, a play- and drama therapy project developed in Romania in the period January - September 2017. It was initiated by the “Audiosofia“ Association and supported by the Community Foundation and MOL Romania, including 3-18 year old deaf children and teenagers wearing cochlear implants or hearing aids. In 2017 the project had 101 users, among whom 80 were deaf children. The main stages of the performances during the whole project, especially the description of the therapeutic process, are detailed and exemplified by suggestive images. Following a study on a lot of 29 cochlear-implanted children having often participated in the therapeutic sessions, a constant normal level of subjects’ mental health was observed. The study concludes that, in the process of rehabilitating the cochlear-implanted children and teenagers, the introduction of creative therapies could contribute to subjects’ normalization and integration in the communities they belong to. The authors advocate for a holistic approach to these children.