Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Cochlear Implant According to Age of Implantation

Abstract

Hearing loss in pediatric population is a major health concern, taking into account the immediate repercussions on the cognitive, emotional and language development, resulting in serious difficulties in communication and language development. Therefore, many institutions and official bodies emphasize the importance of its early diagnosis and implantation. The objective of this study is to know the effect of cochlear implant on the development of oral language in implanted children in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) according to age of implantation. Study of the psycholinguistic profile of children who are implanted between 2011 and 2013 (n= 28) through the use of two standardized tests, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and TheIllinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA). 18%of the children were implanted under two years of age, 26% between two and three years old and 56% over three years of age. There is a significant tendency to use the visual channel in the communication of those children who were implanted at a later age and a tendency to use the auditory channel at an early age of implantation. A later age of implantation implies a risk in the normal language development both at a level of language comprehension and expression. Children who are implanted at an early age showed both at a level of language comprehension and expression better results than those children who were implanted at a later age. Most of the cases studied were implanted at a later age. This situation leads them to a nonfunctional use of the implant and a limited development of their speaking skills.