Positive effects of hearing and speech rehabilitation on lexical range quality in hearing impaired children
Abstract
Background/Aim. Initial experiences in rehabilitation of children with cochlear implants and frequent debates regarding the effects of their application have imposed the necessity to compare the effects of speech rehabilitation in children with hearing aids with those having cochlear implants. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the level of lexical development in hearing impaired children who are involved in the process of hearing and speech-language rehabilitation and who were amplified by hearing aids or cochlear implants. Methods. The sample consisted of 55 children aged 3–6 years, diagnosed with prelingual bilateral hearing impairment with a hearing threshold above 90 dB. All examined children had average intellectual abilities and no additonal impairments. The sample was divided into 2 groups: E1 group consisted of 30 children with cochlear implants and E2 group consisted of 25 children who were amplified by individual hearing aids. Research methodology included a Test of Vocabulary. The testing was performed individually. A year after the testing, a retest was done. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS v. 17 for Windows. Results. The largest number of children had average achievements on a Test of Vocabulary during initial testing. After a year (retest) significant improvements were noticed. A large number of children had above average achievements (46.7% in the E1 and 36% in the E2 group) while the number of children with below average achievements was significantly reduced (3.3% in the E1 and 8% in the E2). A comparative analysis of the test and those with gearing aids achievements showed that there was no statistically significant difference between children with cochlear implants and retest. Conclusion. Significant improvement of the achievements on retest in both groups can be explained by positive effects of systematic, planned, intensive and continuous rehabilitation of hearing impaired children, and not by application of certain type of hearing amplification.
References
Sovilj M. Child's speech: Quantitative speech characteristic. Monograph. Belgrade: Zadužbina Andrejević; 2002. (Serbian)
Kostić Đ. Methodology of Speech Development at Hearing Im-paired Children. Belgrade: Institute for Experimental Phonet-ics and Pathology of Speech. 1988. (Serbian)
Barlov I, Jeličić LJ, Vujović M. Speech and language development in children with Otitis Media Secretoria before and after ven¬tilation tubes implantation. In: Sovilj M, editor. Verbal commu¬nication disorders: prevention, diagnostics and treatment. Bel¬grade: IEPSP; 2007. p. 298‒ 305. (Serbian)
Barlov I, Pantelić S. Auditory abilities in relation to gender and different etiological factors. In: Jovicic S, Sovilj M, editors. Speech and Language. Belgrade: IEPSP; 2003. p. 473‒8 (Ser-bian)
Anderson I, Hassanzaadeh S, Phillips L, Martin J. The Relation-ship Between Speech Reception and Production Skills in Pedi-atric Cochlear Implant Users. MEDEL Poster Book. 2003.
Waltzman SB, Cohen NL, Green J, Roland JT Jr. Long-term ef-fects of cochlear implants in children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2002; 126(5): 505‒11.
Allen MC, Nikolopoulos TP, O'Donoghue OG. Speech intelligibil-ity in children after cochlear implantation. Am J Otol 1998; 19(6): 742‒6.
Allum JHJ, Greisiger R, Straubhaar S, Carpenter MG. Auditory per¬ception and speech identification in children with cochlear implants tested with the EARS protocol. Br J Audiol 2000; 34(5): 293‒303.
Archbold SM, Nikolopoulos TP, Tait M, О`Donoghue GM, Lutman ME, Gregory S. Approach to Communication, Speech Percep-tion and Intelligibility after Paediatric Cochlear Implantation. Br J Audiol 2000; 34(4): 257‒64.
Archbold SM, Lutman ME, Gregory S, O'Neill C, Nikolopoulos TP. Parents and Their Deaf Child: Their Perceptions Three Years After Cochlear Implantation. Deafness Educ Int 2002; 4(1): 12‒40.
Filipo R, Bosco E, Barchetta C, Mancini P. Cochlear Implantation in Deaf Children and Adolescents: Effects on Family School-ing and Personal Well-being. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 1999; 49(Suppl 1): S183‒7.
Löfkvist U, Almkvist O, Lyxell B, Tallberg IM. Lexical and Se-man¬tic ability in Groups of Children with Cochlear Im¬plants, Language Impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2014; 78(2): 253‒63.
Pisoni DB, Geers AE. Working memory in deaf children with co¬chlear implants: correlations between digit span and meas-ures of spoken language processing. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryn¬gol Suppl 2000; 185: 92‒3.
Lund E. Vocabulary knowledge of children with cochlear im-plants: a meta-analysis. J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ 2016; 21(2): 107‒21.
Vasić S. The skill of speech. Belgrade: BIGZ; 1980. (Serbian)
Nittrouer S, Sansom E, Low K, Rice C, Caldwell-Tarr A. Language structures used by kindergartners with cochlear implants: Re¬lationship to phonological awareness, lexical knowledge and hearing loss. Ear Hear 2014; 35(5): 506‒18. .
Davidson LS, Geers AE, Nicholas JG. The effects of audibility and novel word learning ability on vocabulary level in children with cochlear implants. Cochlear Implants Int 2014; 15(4): 211‒21.
Schwartz RG, Steinman S, Ying E, Mystal EY, Houston DM. Lan-guage Processing in Children with Cochlear Implants: A Pre-liminary Report on Lexical Access for Production and Com-prehension. Clin Linguist Phon 2013; 27(4): 264‒77.
Storkel HL. Learning from input and memory evolution: points of vulnerability on a pathway to mastery in word learning. Int J Speech Lang Pathol 2015; 17(1): 1‒12.
Ostojić S. Auditory Training and Speech Development at Hear-ing Impaired Children. Belgrade: CIDD; 2004. (Serbian)