ERIC Number: EJ1015583
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Enduring Advantages of Early Cochlear Implantation for Spoken Language Development
Geers, Anne E.; Nicholas, Johanna G.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v56 n2 p643-653 Apr 2013
Purpose: In this article, the authors sought to determine whether the precise age of implantation (AOI) remains an important predictor of spoken language outcomes in later childhood for those who received a cochlear implant (CI) between 12 and 38 months of age. Relative advantages of receiving a bilateral CI after age 4.5 years, better pre-CI-aided hearing, and longer CI experience were also examined. Method: Sixty children participated in a prospective longitudinal study of outcomes at 4.5 and 10.5 years of age. Twenty-nine children received a sequential second CI. Test scores were compared with normative samples of hearing age mates, and predictors of outcomes were identified. Results: Standard scores on language tests at 10.5 years of age remained significantly correlated with age of first cochlear implantation. Scores were not associated with receipt of a second, sequentially acquired CI. Significantly higher scores were achieved for vocabulary as compared with overall language, a finding not evident when the children were tested at younger ages. Conclusion: Age-appropriate spoken language skills continued to be more likely with younger AOI, even after an average of 8.6 years of additional CI use. Receipt of a second implant between ages 4 and 10 years and longer duration of device use did not provide significant added benefit. (Contains 7 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Assistive Technology, Deafness, Language Acquisition, Speech Communication, Age Differences, Predictor Variables, Longitudinal Studies, Young Children, Children, Scores, Language Tests, Surgery, Language Skills, Foreign Countries, Thinking Skills, Family Structure, Parent Background, Educational Attainment, Family Income, Questionnaires, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Sentences, Vocabulary, Comprehension
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; United States
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Preschool Language Scale; Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A