Does the duration matter? Effect of cochlear implantation on language development in Mandarin-speaking children with hearing loss

Abstract

Objective:

Several studies have shown that cochlear implantation (CI) can influence language development in children with severe-to-profound hearing loss. However, whether the age of implantation and duration of CI use influence language development remains unclear, particularly in Mandarin-speaking children with hearing loss. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of CI-related variables on language development in these children.

Methods:

The present study recruited 133 Mandarin-speaking children with hearing loss, aged between 36 and 71 months chronologically, from a nonprofit organisation in Taiwan. The Revised Preschool Language Assessment (RPLA) was used to evaluate the children’s language performance.

Results:

Children with hearing loss demonstrated delayed language comprehension and oral expression. Among them, 34% achieved age-appropriate language development. The duration of CI use had a significant direct effect on language-related abilities. Conversely, the age of implantation did not have a significant direct effect. Furthermore, the age of initial interventions (auditory-oral) had a significant direct effect only on language comprehension. Compared with the age of implantation, the duration of CI use was a significant mediator of language-related abilities.

Conclusion:

In Mandarin-speaking children with late CIs, the duration of CI use is a more effective mediator of language development than the age of implantation.

Keywords:

• Cochlear implantation
• Early intervention
• Mandarin-speaking children with hearing loss
• Language development
• Mediator

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Tang Zhi Lim

Tang Zhi Lim is currently a PhD candidate in the centre for rehabilitation and special needs studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He previously worked as a research assistant at the Speech and Hearing Science Research Institute of the Children's Hearing Foundation in Taiwan.

Pei-Hua Chen

Pei-Hua Chen is a research fellow at the Speech and Hearing Science Research Institute of the Children's Hearing Foundation in Taiwan.