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Cochlear implants for deaf children
Insights
Cochlear implants in profoundly deaf children under 18 show some language skill improvement. While receptive language grew more than expressive, overall gains did not surpass expected development for deaf children.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Audiology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Profound hearing loss significantly impacts language development in children.
- Cochlear implantation is a treatment option for severe to profound hearing loss.
- Understanding the efficacy of cochlear implants in pediatric populations is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the 3M/House cochlear implant on language development in pediatric patients.
- To compare the outcomes in children with those reported for adult cochlear implant recipients.
- To assess the degree of language growth post-implantation in profoundly deaf children.
Main Methods:
- Surgical implantation of the 3M/House device in 15 pediatric patients (<18 years).
- Modifications to the standard surgical procedure for pediatric anatomy.
- Assessment of auditory thresholds for timing and intensity information.
- Evaluation of receptive and expressive language skills pre- and post-implantation.
Main Results:
- Pediatric subjects achieved similar auditory thresholds as adults with the device.
- Improvements in speech production were observed to varying degrees.
- Significant language delays were present in all subjects due to profound hearing loss.
- Post-implantation, receptive language skills showed more growth than expressive skills.
- Observed language growth did not exceed expected developmental trajectories for profoundly deaf children.
Conclusions:
- The 3M/House cochlear implant provides auditory information to pediatric patients at thresholds comparable to adults.
- While some language improvements are noted, the cochlear implant's sole contribution to language growth requires further investigation.
- Current findings suggest that cochlear implantation in this cohort does not accelerate language development beyond expected levels for profoundly deaf children.
Abstract:
Fifteen profoundly deaf patients under the age of 18 years have received a 3M/House cochlear implant. The surgical procedure employed is essentially the same as that used in adults with a few modifications to accommodate for the smaller dimensions of the mastoid process and the thinness of the scalp and temporal squama. Pediatric subjects receive timing and intensity information at similar thresholds as adults implanted with this device which contributes to improvement in speech production to various degrees. All subject groups demonstrated significant language delays as a result of their profound hearing losses. Postimplantation, more growth was seen in receptive than in expressive language skills. However, the growth observed did not exceed that expected in profoundly deaf children as reported in the literature. Language growth as a result of the cochlear implant alone is yet to be documented in our patients.