Benefits of simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation on verbal reasoning skills in prelingually deaf children.
BACKGROUND
Impaired auditory speech perception abilities in deaf children with hearing aids compromised their verbal intelligence enormously. The availability of unilateral cochlear implantation (CI) auditory speech perception and spoken vocabulary enabled them to reach near ageappropriate levels. This holds especially for children in spoken language environments. However, speech perception in complex listening situations and the acquisition of complex verbal skills remains difficult. Bilateral CI was expected to enhance the acquisition of verbal intelligence by improved understanding of speech in noise.


METHODS
This study examined the effect of bilateral CI on verbal intelligence of 49 deaf children (3;5-8;0 years). Relations between speech perception in noise, auditory short-term memory and verbal intelligence were analysed with multiple linear regressions. In addition, the interaction of educational setting, mainstream or special, on these relations was analysed.


RESULTS
Children with bilateral CI obtained higher scores on verbal intelligence. Significant associations were present between speech perception in noise, auditory short-term memory and verbal intelligence.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with simultaneous bilateral CIs showed better speech perception in noise than children with unilateral CIs, which mediated by the auditory short-term memory capacity, enhanced the ability to acquire more complex verbal skills for BICI children in mainstream education.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing and Implants, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Evi
E
Jacobs
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing and Implants, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Margreet C
MC
Langereis
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Johan H M
JH
Frijns
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Rolien H
RH
Free
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Andre
A
Goedegebure
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cas
C
Smits
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Robert J
RJ
Stokroos
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing and Implants, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Saskia A M
SA
Ariens-Meijer
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing and Implants, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Emmanuel A M
EA
Mylanus
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing and Implants, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: anneke.vermeulen@radboudumc.nl.
Anneke M
AM
Vermeulen
D001307:Auditory Perception; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007804:Language Development; D016014:Linear Models; D008282:Mainstreaming, Education; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009622:Noise; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception
Children; Cochlear implant; Hearing impairment; Speech perception; Verbal intelligence