Cochlear Implants Can Help Children

cochlear implants can help children with hearing impairments acquire spoken language skills much more efficiently than with the use of hearing aids alone. Especially in families without any other deaf members, children with hearing impairments start school at a significant disadvantage vs. their peers. The current study examined the effects of early implantation with measured results at 3.5 to 4.5 years of age. Early implantation may assist neuron development in the auditory system, which proceeds through a period of relative plasticity during the toddler years.

Cochlear implants may even offer the possibility of restoring stunted auditory system development. Prior research shows that children under the age of five who receive cochlear implants develop at almost the same rate as their typically developing counterparts and faster than same-age children who only use hearing aids. Moreover, research shows that the younger the age of implant the higher the rate of language development. The current study focuses on spoken language development. Previous research included overall language acquisition including signing.

Some preliminary studies indicate that implants at later ages (up to six years old) result in greater lags in language development. Thus, early implantation may mitigate developmental disabilities in children with hearing loss. Early implantation (under three years of age) also results in longer use of the implants. The current research also examined the role of pre-implant hearing aid usage on language development.

The authors hypothesized that children who were implanted at an earlier age would score better on language assessment tests than children implanted later, regardless of the total duration of implant use. Moreover, the authors predicted that children who received their implants at younger ages would be prepared for age-appropriate language-related learning in school. Unlike previous studies, the current research measured results-based partly on conversational samples recorded during parent-child interactions. The real-life, natural language environment offers a unique perspective on the effectiveness of cochlear implants.

The focus on natural spoken language scenarios may also be of particular importance to parents with little exposure to deaf culture. Participants in the current study included 76 children who received cochlear implants between their first and third birthdays. Intervening conditions were ruled out, including nonverbal intelligence scores, and all participants were enrolled in oral education programs. All the hearing impaired children were deaf from birth. A control group included children with unimpaired hearing, measured by conventional tests. Sample populations were culled from all over North America.

Methods included observing a thirty-minute parent-child play session to assess real-life language scenarios. The play session was recorded twice: once when the child was 3.5 years old and again at 4.5 years. Standardized language testing was also used but only when the children were.