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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
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Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Children with implants can speak, but can they communicate?
A M Robbins1, M Svirsky, K I Kirk
1DeVault Otologic Research Laboratory, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Summary
Cochlear implants significantly improve English language skills in profoundly deaf children. Children with cochlear implants showed language gains equivalent to hearing peers within one year.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Profound hearing impairment presents significant challenges to English language acquisition.
- Assessing language development in deaf children requires understanding expected gains from maturation.
- Cochlear implantation is a key intervention for restoring auditory input in deaf individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of Nucleus multichannel cochlear implants on English language skills in profoundly hearing-impaired children.
- To compare language development in implanted children against predicted gains based on maturation.
- To determine if cochlear implant use accelerates language development beyond natural maturation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Reynell Developmental Language Scales, Revised, to assess English-language skills.
- Established normative language development data from a control group of 89 deaf children without implants.
- Compared language scores of 23 children with cochlear implants at 6 and 12 months post-implantation against predicted scores.
Main Results:
- Children with cochlear implants demonstrated receptive and expressive language gains exceeding maturation predictions by 7 months at 12 months post-implantation.
- The average language development rate in the first year of cochlear implant use was comparable to that of children with normal hearing.
- These benefits were observed regardless of communication method (oral or total communication).
Conclusions:
- Nucleus multichannel cochlear implants significantly enhance English language development in profoundly hearing-impaired children.
- Cochlear implantation accelerates language acquisition, enabling children to approach age-appropriate milestones faster.
- The study highlights the effectiveness of cochlear implants in improving language outcomes for deaf children.
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