Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
[The development of musicality in children after cochlear implantation]
Insights
Musicality in children with cochlear implants (CI) significantly improves over time, especially within the first year post-implantation. Early CI use supports musical development comparable to hearing peers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Developmental psychology
- Music cognition
Context:
- Assessing musical development in children with cochlear implants (CI) is crucial for understanding auditory rehabilitation outcomes.
- Early cochlear implantation enables children to develop auditory skills, including musicality, from a young age.
Purpose:
- To analyze the development of musicality in children following cochlear implantation.
- To establish a clinical database for evaluating musicality in pediatric CI users.
- To compare musical development between children with CIs and normal-hearing peers.
Summary:
- Twenty-six children with CIs and seventy-six normal-hearing infants were evaluated using the Music and Young Children with CIs: Musicality Rating Scale.
- Musicality scores significantly improved over time in both the CI group and the control group.
- No significant differences in musicality were found between groups until 24 months post-implantation, indicating comparable development.
Impact:
- Musicality in children with CIs shows significant improvement with time and duration of CI use.
- The most rapid musical development occurs within the first year after cochlear implantation.
- Findings provide valuable insights for audiological interventions and music-based therapies for children with hearing loss.
Objective:
The purpose of this study is to analyze the development of musicality in children after cochlear implantation, and provide a clinical database for the evaluation of their musicality.
Method:
Twenty-six children with cochlear implants (CI group) participated in this research. They received cochlear implants at the age of 11 to 68 months with a mean of 35.6 months. Seventy-six infants as a control group aged from 1 to 24 months with a mean of 6.1 months participated in this study, whose hearing were considered normal by passing the case history collection, high-risk registers for hearing loss and hearing screening using DPOAE. The music and young children with CIs: Musicality Rating Scale was used to evaluate their musicality. The evaluation was performed before cochlear implantation and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 months after cochlear implantation for children with cochlear implants. The evaluation was also performed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 months for children with normal hearing.
Result:
The mean scores of musicality showed significant improvements with time of CI use for CI group (P<0.05). The mean scores of musicality also showed significant improvements with time for control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in mean scores between CI group and control group at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months of hearing age by rank sum test (P>0.05). Significant difference was noted between the two groups at 24 months (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
The musicality of children with cochlear implants improved significantly with time after cochlear implantation. The most rapid growth was found in the first year after cochlear implantation.
