title: Disproportionate language impairment in children using cochlear implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the nature of previously unexplained, severe language impairments in some children using a cochlear implant (CI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six prelingually deaf children with unexplained, "disproportionate" language problems (DLI group) were matched to Control children on etiology, age at implantation, and CI experience. All children completed a test battery used to identify specific language impairment in normally hearing children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite equivalent performance IQ, significant differences were found between the DLI and Control children on all five language tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Language difficulties experienced by some children using a CI seem to be additional to those produced by their deafness and may reflect the same, predominantly inherited basis as specific language impairment.
authors.affiliation: Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme, Ropewalk House, Nottingham, NG1 6HA.
authors.forename: Kelvin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hawker
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Inscoe
authors.forename: Dorothy V M
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.forename: Gerard M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: O'Donoghue
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010700:Phonetics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012660:Semantics; D014706:Verbal Learning