Social skills and developmental delay: importance in predicting the auditory and speech outcomes after cochlear implantation in children

A systematic review on the impact of auditory functioning and language proficiency on psychosocial difficulties in children and adolescents with hearing loss

OBJECTIVE

Approximately 20% to 40% of children with hearing loss encounter psychosocial difficulties. This prevalence may be outdated, given the advancements in hearing technology and rehabilitation efforts to enhance the psychosocial well-being of these children. A systematic review of up-to-date literature can help to identify factors that may contribute to the children's psychosocial well-being.

DESIGN/STUDY SAMPLE

A systematic review was conducted. Original articles were identified through systematic searches in Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, and Web of Science Core Collection. The quality of the papers was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and custom Reviewers' Criteria.

RESULTS

A search was performed on 20 October 2022. A total of 1561 articles were identified, and 36 were included for review. Critical appraisal led to 24 good to fair quality articles, and 12 poor quality articles.

CONCLUSION

Children with hearing loss have a twofold risk of experiencing psychosocial difficulties compared to normal hearing peers. Estimates for functioning in social interactions, like speech perception (in noise) or language proficiency, have proven to be more adequate predictors for psychosocial difficulties than the degree of hearing loss. Our findings can be useful for identifying children at risk for difficulties and offering them earlier and more elaborate psychological interventions.

Cochlear implantation outcomes in children with global developmental delay

OBJECTIVE

As the number of hearing loss cochlear implant candidates who suffer from global developmental delay has dramatically increased, we aimed to study the prognosis of implantation in this group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional case-control study, we utilized the Ages and Stages Questionnaire third edition (ASQ-3) to investigate the prognosis of cochlear implantation and its rehabilitation in 26 congenitally deaf children who suffered from global developmental delay compared with those in 25 non-delayed cases with the same conditions in two time periods, namely the first diagnosis of hearing loss and 18 months after the surgery and rehabilitation program. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 21 (SPSS-21).

RESULTS

By the time of hearing loss diagnosis (six months old), the performance of all the global developmentally delayed hearing loss children in five subtests of the ASQ-3 scale was significantly lower than that of their non-delayed peers. Meanwhile, they improved significantly in two gross motor and social development subtests 18 months after the surgery and rehabilitation.

CONCLUSION

Along with the general improvement of delay developed children with sensorineural hearing loss after cochlear implantation, global developmental assessment in the process of candidacy and after implantation is an essential factor that needs to be considered.

The Effect of Breastfeeding on Intelligence Quotient and Social Intelligence Among Seven- to Nine-Year-Old Girls: A Pilot Study

Background

Breastfeeding is an optimal infant feeding method that provides adequate nutrients, achieves healthy growth and development, and enhances the health status of both infants and mothers. Breast milk contains a variety of substances that might positively affect cognition and the development of children's psychomotor abilities.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the variations in intelligence quotient (IQ), social intelligence (SI), and body mass index (BMI) among 7- to 9-year-old girls who were exclusively breastfed, exclusively bottle-fed, or mixed-fed during their first 6 months of life.

Methods

This study involved 111 healthy girls, aged 7 to 9 years, who were recruited from nine government and private schools in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices were used to measure the participants' IQs, and the Vineland Social Maturity Assessment was used to measure their SI through individual interviews. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using standard methods.

Results

The breastfed group showed a greater number of above-average IQ test scores (35 vs. 23%; P = 0.479) and better SI scores (78 vs. 55%; P = 0.066) compared with the bottle-fed group. The number of girls with normal BMIs was significantly higher in the breastfed group than in the bottle-fed (68 vs. 41%; P = 0.045) or mixed-fed groups.

Conclusion

Exclusively breastfed girls had higher IQ and SI results compared with bottle-fed girls. However, unlike the BMI differences, these results were not statistically significant. This study provides fundamental observational data and can be further modified for use on a larger national-scale level.

Developmental delays assessed using the Enjoji Scale in children with cochlear implants who have intellectual disability with or without autism spectrum disorder

OBJECTIVE

Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are common among children who are candidates for cochlear implants. However, the implications of these comorbidities for cochlear implant placement have been not fully established. This study sought to identify these implications by comparing developmental delays among children with these conditions.

METHODS

Participants were children who were followed up at least every 6 months for 24 months after cochlear implant surgery. Developmental delays were assessed using the Enjoji Scale of Infant Analytical Development (Enjoji Scale) and compared in three groups with hearing loss: those with ID (ID group, n=4); those with ASD and ID (ASD+ID group, n=4); and those with typical development (control group, n=5). Developmental delay was evaluated longitudinally before and after cochlear implant placement for 18 months.

RESULTS

Among the six subscales that make up the Enjoji Scale, language development and intelligence development were significantly delayed in all three groups and were exacerbated over time except for language development in the control group. Emotional development and social behavior were significantly delayed only in the ASD+ID group. Comparison of intergroup differences revealed delays in language development in the ID and ASD+ID groups compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

The Enjoji Scale successfully demonstrated developmental delays characteristic to the underlying comorbidities of ID with or without ASD in children with cochlear implants. The Enjoji Scale can be a useful diagnostic tool for screening children with cochlear implants for ID with or without ASD.

Identification of a rare homozygous c.790C>T variation in the TFB2M gene in Korean patients with autism spectrum disorder

Mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent enhanced oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mitochondrial transcription factor B2 (TFB2M) is an essential protein in mitochondrial gene expression. No reports have described TFB2M mutations and variations involved in any human diseases. We identified a rare homozygous c.790C>T (His264Tyr) variation in TFB2M gene in two Korean siblings with ASD by whole-exome sequencing. The roles of the TFB2M variation in the pathogenesis of ASD were investigated. Patient fibroblasts revealed increased transcription of mitochondrial genes and mitochondrial function in terms of ATP, membrane potential, oxygen consumption, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overexpression of the TFB2M variant in primary-cultured fibroblasts demonstrated significantly increased transcription of mitochondrial genes and mitochondrial function compared with overexpression of wild-type TFB2M. Molecular dynamics simulation of the TFB2M variant protein suggested an increase in the rigidity of the hinge region, which may cause alterations in loading and/or unloading of TFB2M on target DNA. Our results suggest that augmentation of mitochondrial gene expression and subsequent enhancement of mitochondrial function may be associated with the pathogenesis of ASD in Korean patients.

Achieving early functional auditory access in paediatric cochlear implantation

Cochlear implantation (CI) is a viable option for providing access to auditory stimulation in severe-to-profound hearing loss/impairment of cochlear origin. It has been demonstrated that CI is safe and effective for deaf children. Younger age at activation after CI is linked with better outcomes. It is important to study variables and issues that can interfere with an early fitting and access to sound after CI. They range from patient characteristics, family compliance and support, to technical, medical or organisational problems. A SWOT analysis and a subsequent TOWS matrix was conducted to discuss issues and propose recommendations to be considered when operating an early switch on of the CI.