Improving the language environment for children with cochlear implants, using the LENA language and environment...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Developmental linguistics
• Speech-language pathology

Background:

• Children with cochlear implants (CIs) require optimized language environments for optimal oral language development.
• The Language and Environment Analysis (LENA) system provides objective data on children's language exposure.
• Family counseling may enhance the effectiveness of CI interventions by targeting the child's linguistic milieu.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of family counseling, informed by LENA recordings, on the language environment of children with prelingual deafness and CIs.
• To assess improvements in key language environment metrics, including conversational turns and adult word count.
• To determine the correlation between language environment factors and language reception skills in this population.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 83 children with CIs from two French centers.
• Intervention group received LENA-based feedback and parental counseling; control group did not.
• Language environment (LENA metrics: adult word count, child vocalizations, conversational turns, TV/media exposure) and lexical reception (PPVT-R/GAEL-P) were assessed at baseline and 5 months.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a significant increase in conversational turns (15 percentiles, P=0.03), unlike controls (median change 0).
• No significant changes were observed in other LENA parameters (child vocalizations, adult word count, TV/media exposure) between groups.
• Lexical reception scores positively correlated with conversational turns, adult word count, and child vocalizations, but not TV/media exposure.

Conclusions:

• LENA-based family counseling is an effective strategy to increase conversational interactions for children with CIs.
• Optimizing the language environment through targeted counseling can support the oral language development of young children with CIs.
• The LENA system serves as a valuable tool for parents aiming to enhance their child's linguistic exposure and development.