Survey on language rehabilitation methods in deaf Italian children with cochlear implants

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cochlear implantation (CI) is a key intervention for severe-profound bilateral deafness in children.
• Various rehabilitation methods exist to optimize speech and language development post-CI.
• Understanding current rehabilitation practices in Italy is crucial for evidence-based care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey current rehabilitation methods used for deaf Italian children with cochlear implants.
• To explore potential associations between rehabilitation approaches and children's clinical features.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was distributed to 100 Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) in two Italian tertiary care centers.
• The questionnaire assessed five areas of speech and language rehabilitation, scoring methods like Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT), Cognitive Oralism (CO), Bimodal (B), and Dreazancic (D).
• Children using CIs for ≥8 hours/day with ongoing speech therapy were included.

Main Results:

• The majority of children (69%) received composite rehabilitation methods.
• Cognitive Oralism (CO) was the most prevalent (32.5%), followed by Dreazancic (D) (28.4%), Bimodal (B) (18.7%), and AVT (15.4%).
• No significant associations were found between rehabilitation methods and patients' demographic or clinical characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Mixed rehabilitation methods are prevalent, accounting for nearly 50% of cases.
• Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) is the least common method among the surveyed population.
• The choice of rehabilitation approach may be influenced by therapists' education and background rather than patient-specific factors.