Use of a revised children's implant profile (GOSHChIP) in candidacy for paediatric cochlear implantation and in predicting outcome

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate statistically the way a revised version of the children's implant profile (GOSHChIP) is used to inform candidacy decisions and explore its utility in predicting outcomes in the first three years of implant use. A retrospective case series analysis design was employed. Data were collated for 127 children with a mean age of 4.7 years at implantation. Concerns in a number of areas of the child's pre-implant functioning as rated on the GOSHChIP (spoken or manual communication skills, cognitive abilities, family structure and support, and use of hearing aids) were associated with speech perception and intelligibility outcomes following implantation. In terms of non-verbal cognitive abilities, the score on tests of fluid reasoning skills (sequencing), that contributes to the cognitive factor on the GOSHChIP, was found to significantly predict speech perception and speech intelligibility post implant. The GOSHChIP is a useful tool in making paediatric cochlear implant candidacy decisions, and in forming a guide for counselling parents about the potential benefit their child may receive from an implant.

• Cochlear implant
• Paediatric
• Speech perception
• Psycho-social/emotional

Abbreviations
ChIP	=	Children's implant profile
E2L	=	English as a second language
GOSHChIP	=	Great Ormond Street Hospital ChIP
MJWL	=	Manchester junior word list
MPT	=	Manchester picture test
SIR	=	Speech intelligibility rating

Abbreviations
ChIP	=	Children's implant profile
E2L	=	English as a second language
GOSHChIP	=	Great Ormond Street Hospital ChIP
MJWL	=	Manchester junior word list
MPT	=	Manchester picture test
SIR	=	Speech intelligibility rating

Sumario

Los objetivos de este estudio fueron investigar estadísticamente la forma en la que la versión revisada del perfil para implantes en niños (GOSHChIP) es utilizada para informar las decisiones sobre la candidatura y para explorar su utilidad en predecir los resultados de los primeros tres años de uso del implante. Se empleó un diseño de análisis serial retrospectivo de casos. Se colectaron datos de 127 niños con una media de edad de 4.7 años al momento de ser implantados. Inquietudes sobre diferentes áreas de los niños antes del implante (habilidades de comunicación manual o hablada, habilidades cognitivas, estructura y apoyo familiar y uso de auxiliares auditivos), como se relatan en el GOSHChIP, fueron asociadas con los resultados de la percepción y la inteligibilidad del lenguaje después del implante. En términos de las habilidades cognitivas no-verbales, la puntuación en una prueba de razonamiento fluido (secuenciación) que contribuye al factor cognitivo en el GOSHChIP, se encontró que predice significativamente la percepción del lenguaje y la inteligibilidad del lenguaje post-implante. EL GOSHChIP es una herramienta útil para tomar decisiones sobre la candidatura al implante coclear en niños y para formar una guía para el asesoramiento de los padres sobre el beneficio potencial que su hijo podría recibir de un implante.