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Recent Rehabilitation Experience with Pediatric ABI Users
Esra Yücel1, Filiz Aslan, Hilal Burcu Özkan
1Department of Audiology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. filizasl@gmail.com.
Insights
Pediatric auditory brainstem implant (ABI) users achieved basic auditory skills. While speech and language varied, psychosocial improvements were noted, especially when additional handicaps were absent.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric audiology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI) offer an alternative for profound hearing loss when cochlear implants are unsuitable.
- Pediatric ABI use is less common, necessitating research into developmental outcomes.
- Understanding long-term benefits is crucial for managing expectations and guiding rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the rehabilitative outcomes in pediatric auditory brainstem implant (ABI) users.
- To describe auditory perception, speech, and language development in children with ABI.
- To identify factors influencing progress and psychosocial adjustment.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 41 pediatric ABI users (2005-2013) at Hacettepe University.
- Inclusion criteria: profound congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss with anomalies, >1 year ABI use; exclusion: post-meningitis, NF2.
- Auditory skills assessed via MAIS, FAPCI, CAP, CIAT; speech via SIR; language via TELD-3, MSLD.
Main Results:
- All pediatric ABI users achieved basic audiological functions within 3 months.
- Sound recognition and discrimination abilities were established early.
- Development ranged from word identification to sentence recognition, influenced by ABI duration and learning.
- Speech intelligibility and language development showed variable progress.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric ABI users demonstrate acquisition of fundamental auditory perception skills.
- Language and speech development trajectories vary significantly among individuals.
- Co-occurring handicaps appear to impede auditory rehabilitation progress.
- Psychosocial benefits include improved social adjustment and communication eagerness.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to describe the rehabilitative outcomes of pediatric auditory brainstem implant (ABI) users in the Department of Otolaryngology in the Hacettepe University. It was a retrospective study, and all patients' files were reviewed.
Materials And Methods:
The data was collected from 41 children who were fitted with ABI between 2005 and 2013. Inclusion criteria for children in our study are profound, congenital bilateral sensory-neural hearing loss with anomalies (such as cochlear, labyrinthine, and cochlear nerve aplasia) and more than one year of auditory experience with ABI. Post-meningitis patients and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients were excluded. Auditory perception was evaluated using the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS), Functioning after Pediatric Cochlear Implantation (FAPCI) instrument, Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), and Children's Auditory Perception Skills Test in Turkish (CIAT). Speech intelligibility was categorized with speech intelligibility rating (SIR), and language development was assessed using the Test of Early Language Development-Third Edition (TELD-3) and Manchester Spoken Language Development Scale (MSLD).
Results:
All patients gained basic audiological functions and were able to recognize and discriminate sounds by the third month of ABI surgery. According to the duration of ABI use and learning skills, patients revealed development from word identification to sentence recognition level in a wide spectrum.
Conclusion:
Preliminary results indicate that all children have gained basic auditory perception skills. On the other hand, language and speech development data were varying among children. Additional handicaps seemed to slow down progression. Secondary improvement was seen at psychosocial areas with respect to behavioral and social adjustment as well as eagerness to start communication.
