Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Effect of pediatric bilateral cochlear implantation on language development
Tinne Boons1, Jan P L Brokx, Johan H M Frijns
1Division of Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49 bus 721, Leuven 3000, Belgium. tinne.boons@med.kuleuven.be
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|January 4, 2012
Summary
Children with bilateral cochlear implants show better spoken language skills than those with unilateral implants. Simultaneous implantation offers an advantage for expressive language development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Speech-language pathology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation is a critical intervention for children with severe to profound hearing loss.
- Bilateral cochlear implantation (BCI) aims to improve auditory perception and speech development compared to unilateral cochlear implantation (UCI).
- Understanding the impact of BCI versus UCI on spoken language outcomes is crucial for clinical decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare spoken language outcomes in children receiving bilateral cochlear implants versus those receiving unilateral cochlear implants.
- To investigate the effect of the interval between implantations on language development in children with BCI.
- To evaluate the difference between simultaneous and sequential BCI for expressive language.
Main Methods:
- A case-control, frequency-matched, retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted across two Belgian and three Dutch cochlear implantation centers.
- Twenty-five children with UCI were matched with 25 children with BCI from a sample of 288 children implanted before age five.
- Spoken language comprehension and expression were assessed using the Reynell Developmental Language Scales and the Schlichting Expressive Language Test.
Main Results:
- Children with BCI demonstrated significantly better performance on both receptive and expressive spoken language measures compared to children with UCI.
- The observed language performance difference is primarily attributed to bilateral implantation due to careful matching on 10 confounding factors.
- A shorter interval between the first and second cochlear implantations correlated with higher language scores.
Conclusions:
- Bilateral cochlear implantation is associated with enhanced spoken language learning in children.
- The time interval between sequential cochlear implantations negatively correlates with language acquisition.
- Simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation shows an advantage in expressive language development over sequential implantation.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:28Lateralization
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.