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Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Auditory, visual, and auditory-visual speech perception by individuals with cochlear implants versus individuals with
Tova Most1, Hilla Rothem, Michal Luntz
1School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
American Annals of the Deaf
|December 5, 2009
Summary
Cochlear implants (CIs) benefit individuals with prelingual deafness implanted later in life, outperforming hearing aids in challenging listening situations. Visual cues are crucial for all participants, especially those with hearing impairment.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Prelingual deafness significantly impacts speech perception.
- Late implantation of cochlear implants (CIs) in individuals with prelingual deafness presents unique challenges.
- Hearing aids are a common intervention, but their efficacy varies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the speech perception benefits of cochlear implants (CIs) in prelingually deaf individuals implanted after age 8.
- To compare CI users with hearing aid (HA) users with profound (HA-P) and severe (HA-S) hearing impairment.
- To assess the impact of auditory-only, visual-only, and auditory-visual speech perception conditions.
Main Methods:
- Speech perception was tested using words and sentences presented via auditory, visual, and combined auditory-visual channels.
- Participants included prelingually deaf individuals with CIs implanted after age 8, and HA-P and HA-S groups.
- Performance was compared across different sensory input conditions.
Main Results:
- The CI group demonstrated superior speech perception compared to the HA-P group, particularly in difficult listening conditions.
- This suggests a significant advantage of CIs over hearing aids for late implantees.
- All participants, including CI users, relied heavily on visual information when auditory conditions were challenging.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implants offer considerable benefits for speech perception in late-implanted, prelingually deaf individuals.
- Auditory-visual integration is critical for speech understanding, especially in adverse listening environments.
- Rehabilitation programs for CI users should incorporate both auditory and visual information, emphasizing integration.
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