[Cochlear implant: hearing and language in pre-lingual deaf children].
BACKGROUND
Cochlear implant in children, speech perception and oral language, hearing and oral language performance in children with pre-lingual profound sensory-neural hearing impairment, users of cochlear implant.


OBJECTIVE
To study the hearing and oral language performance of children with pre-lingual bilateral profound sensory neural hearing impairment, users of multi-channel cochlear implant considering the following aspects: age of the child when the research was carried out, time of hearing sensorial privation, time of cochlear implant use, type of cochlear implant, type of speech coding strategy used, familial permeability level in relation to the therapeutic process and cognitive style of the child.


METHODS
Participants of this study were 60 children who were assessed according to hearing and language categories. All of the variables were statistically analyzed. Psycho-social aspects, considering the child's cognitive style and the family's permeability level were also assessed.


RESULTS
Regarding the hearing and language performance with the use of cochlear implant, the intermediate and advanced hearing categories were accomplished by more than half of the children. The statistically significant aspects in the performance of hearing and oral language were: the age of the child upon evaluation, time of hearing sensorial privation, time of cochlear implant use, type of implant, speech sounds coding strategy and familial permeability.


CONCLUSIONS
The cochlear implant as a treatment for children with pre-lingual sensory-neural hearing impairment is highly effective, although complex, owing to the interaction of variables which interfere in the implanted child's performance. Further studies are needed for the understanding of the implantation complexity in young children.
Moret
Adriane Lima Mortari
AL
Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil. dri.m@fob.usp.br
Bevilacqua
Maria Cecilia
MC
Costa
Orozimbo Alves
OA
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D005190:Family; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D016015:Logistic Models; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors