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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
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Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Single word and sentence intelligibility in children with cochlear implants
Fadwa A Khwaileh1, Peter Flipsen
1Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, University of Tennessee-Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN 37996-0740, USA. fkhwaile@utk.edu
Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
|July 22, 2010
Summary
Assessing speech intelligibility in children with cochlear implants requires both single-word and sentence-level tests. Greater implant experience correlates with better speech clarity, highlighting the importance of auditory input for speech development.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
Background:
- Cochlear implants (CIs) offer auditory input to children with severe to profound hearing loss.
- Assessing speech intelligibility is crucial for evaluating CI outcomes in pediatric populations.
- Standardized measures are needed to accurately gauge speech clarity in children with CIs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the intelligibility of speech produced by children with CIs using different assessment measures.
- To investigate the relationship between speech intelligibility and factors like age, implantation age, and implant experience.
- To determine the optimal method for assessing speech intelligibility in this population.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen children (aged 4-11 years) with CIs participated.
- Speech intelligibility was assessed using the Beginners' Intelligibility Test (BIT) for sentences and the Children Speech Intelligibility Measure (CSIM) for words (open and closed-set formats).
- Naïve listeners transcribed or identified spoken stimuli; scores were averaged and compared across measures and correlated with participant characteristics.
Main Results:
- Strong positive correlations were found among all three intelligibility measures (BIT, CSIM-T, CSIM-MC).
- Significant differences in scores were observed across the three tasks.
- Speech intelligibility showed a significant positive correlation with the amount of cochlear implant experience, but not with chronological age or age at implantation.
Conclusions:
- Combining single-word and sentence-level intelligibility measures provides a more comprehensive assessment for children with CIs.
- The amount of experience with a cochlear implant is a significant factor influencing speech intelligibility.
- Sufficient auditory input is essential for the development of clear and understandable speech in children using cochlear implants.
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01:22Language Development
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