Disproportionate language impairment in children using cochlear implants.
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.
Hawker
Kelvin
K
Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme, Ropewalk House, Nottingham, NG1 6HA.
Ramirez-Inscoe
Jayne
J
Bishop
Dorothy V M
DV
Twomey
Tracey
T
O'Donoghue
Gerard M
GM
Moore
David R
DR
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