[The development of consonant perception in pediatric cochlear implants of 1－3 years old]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Audiology
• Neuroscience of Hearing
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Prelingual bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss significantly impacts speech development.
• Cochlear implantation is a critical intervention for restoring hearing in affected children.
• Understanding the developmental trajectory of speech perception post-implantation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate consonant perception development in pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients.
• To compare outcomes based on age at implantation (1 vs. 2 years old).
• To evaluate the long-term effects of early CI on speech perception up to 3 years post-implantation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of pediatric CI recipients with prelingual bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss.
• Participants divided into two groups based on implantation age: 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds.
• Mandarin Early Speech Perception Test scores analyzed at 1, 2, and 3 years post-CI.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in consonant perception scores were observed in both age groups with increasing physiological age.
• The 1-year-old implantation group demonstrated significantly better consonant perception than the 2-year-old group.
• Despite improvements, a notable difference persisted between the 1-year-old CI group and age-matched normal-hearing children.

Conclusions:

• Consonant perception improves within 3 years following cochlear implantation in children under 3 years old.
• Earlier cochlear implantation is associated with superior consonant perception outcomes.
• Developmental differences remain compared to normal-hearing peers, highlighting the need for ongoing support.