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Original Articles

Cochlear implantation in deaf children with associated disabilities: Challenges and outcomes

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Pages 199-208 | Received 11 Aug 2006, Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

The issue of cochlear implantation in deaf children with associated disabilities is an emerging subject. Currently, there is no consensus on whether to implant children with multiple impairments; moreover, it may be difficult to evaluate these children with standard tests pre- or post-implantation. In addition, these children often have poor speech perception and language skills, making assessment more difficult. Despite these factors, these children often receive important benefits in daily life, with an overall improvement in quality of life. In the present study, post-implant outcomes of 23 profoundly deaf children with neuropsychiatric disorders were analysed, using objective measures of speech perception, and a questionnaire administered to the parents, aimed at evaluating the benefits in daily life after implantation. The results were quite variable, but overall positive, in terms of speech perception, communication abilities, and improvement in quality of life. The findings add an additional piece of evidence to support the effectiveness of cochlear implantation in these special cases.

Abbreviations
SNHL=

Sensorineural hearing loss

CI=

Cochlear implant

IQ=

Intelligence quotient

Abbreviations
SNHL=

Sensorineural hearing loss

CI=

Cochlear implant

IQ=

Intelligence quotient

Sumario

El tema de la implantación coclear en niños sordos con discapacidades asociadas es nuevo. No existe consenso en este momento sobre cuándo debe implantarse un niño con impedimentos múltiples; por otra parte, puede ser difícil evaluar a estos niños con las pruebas estándar, antes o después de la implantación. Además, tienen pobre tanto su percepción del lenguaje como sus habilidades lingüísticas, por lo que la evaluación es aún más difícil. A pesar de estos factores, estos niños frecuentemente reciben beneficios importantes en la vida diaria con una mejoría general en su calidad de vida. En el presente estudio, se analizaron los resultados post-implantación de 23 niños con sorderas profundas y trastornos neuro-psiquiátricos, usando mediciones objetivas de la percepción del lenguaje y un cuestionario aplicado a los padres, para valorar los beneficios en la vida diaria después de la implantación. Los resultados fueron bastante variables pero en general fueron positivos, en términos de percepción del lenguaje, de habilidades comunicativas y de mejor calidad de vida. Los hallazgos agregan una evidencia más para apoyar la efectividad de la implantación coclear en estos casos especiales.

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