Receptive (aural) vocabulary development in children with permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment

The receptive (aural) vocabulary development of children with binaural-aided residual hearing was investigated in a prospective longitudinal analysis (repeated measures).

Thirty-three children with sensorineural hearing loss, without major co-morbidities (mean age at the first testing point, 56.2 months, standard deviation 19.0 months) were recruited from the 1994 German Goettinger Hearing Language Register. Their receptive vocabulary was measured using standardised tests (with reference to normal hearing child performance) on three separate test points (mean follow up, 18.7 months, standard deviation 5.0 months).

On average, the study group scored below the normal range at the first and second tests and made a significant improvement at the last test. The degree of hearing loss was found to be significantly correlated to vocabulary performance at all time points, with increasing correlation coefficients. At the third test, significant predictive variables for successful receptive vocabulary outcome were found to be: degree of hearing loss (t = 5.43; p < 0.0001); age at diagnosis (t = 2.29; p = 0.03); and nonverbal intelligence (t = 2.82; p = 0.009).

If permanent childhood hearing impairment is mild and/or is detected early, and if the child grows up in a monolingual environment, the development of receptive vocabulary within the normal range is possible.