A short-term longitudinal study of vocal development in young children with simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Speech-language pathology
• Developmental pediatrics

Background:

• Vocal development is key for children's speech and language acquisition.
• Early simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) offer a potential pathway for auditory development in infants with hearing loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the vocal development trajectory in children with early bilateral CIs.
• To compare the vocal development of children with bilateral CIs to age-matched children with typical hearing (TH).

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design was employed.
• Nine children with bilateral CIs and eight children with TH were included.
• Vocalizations were recorded and categorized (noncanonical babbling, canonical babbling, words, sentences) over 12 months.

Main Results:

• Both groups demonstrated increased vocalizations and advanced forms over one year.
• The CI group had a significantly lower proportion of words and sentences compared to the TH group.
• The CI group exhibited a higher proportion of noncanonical babbling than the TH group.

Conclusions:

• Children with early bilateral CIs achieve vocal milestones, but remain delayed compared to TH peers.
• Full catch-up in vocal development is not achieved within 1-2 years of bilateral CI use.
• Early intervention and targeted support are essential for children with CIs and their families.