Comparison of Expressive Spoken Language Skills in Children With Cochlear Implants and Children With Typical Hearing

Longitudinal Development of Verbal and Nonverbal Intelligence After Cochlear Implantation According to Wechsler Tests in German-speaking Children: A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVES

Intelligence as a construct of cognitive abilities is the basis of knowledge and skill acquisition and the main predictor of academic achievement. As a broad construct, it is usually divided into subdomains, such as nonverbal and verbal intelligence. Verbal intelligence is one domain of intelligence but is not synonymous with specific linguistic abilities like grammar proficiency. We aim to address the general expectation that early cochlear implantation enables children who are hard of hearing to develop comprehensively, including with respect to verbal intelligence. The primary purpose of this study is to trace the longitudinal development of verbal and nonverbal intelligence in children with cochlear implants (CIs).

DESIGN

Sixteen children with congenital hearing loss who received unilateral or bilateral implants and completed at least two intelligence assessments around the age of school entrance were included in the study. The first assessment was performed around 3 years after CI fitting (chronological age range: 3.93 to 7.03 years). The second assessment was performed approximately 2 years after the first assessment. To analyze verbal and nonverbal IQ in conjunction and across children at different ages, we used corresponding standardized and normalized tests from the same test family (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and/or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children).

RESULTS

Regarding longitudinal development, both verbal and nonverbal IQ increased, but verbal IQ increased more substantially over time. At the time of the second measurement, verbal and nonverbal IQ were on a comparable level. Nevertheless, we also observed strong inter-individual differences. The duration between both assessments was significantly associated with verbal IQ at the second measurement time point and thus with verbal IQ gain over time. Education mode (regular vs. special kindergarten/school) was significantly correlated with nonverbal IQ at the second assessment time point.

CONCLUSIONS

The results, despite the small sample size, clearly suggest that children with CIs can achieve intellectual abilities comparable to those of their normal-hearing peers by around the third year after initial CI fitting, and they continue to improve over the following 2 years. We recommend further research focusing on verbal IQ assessed around the age of school entrance to be used as a predictor for further development and for the establishment of an individual educational program.

Complex Language Use in Children With Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Understanding what is known about the language profiles of children with hearing loss (CHL) is vital so that researchers and teachers can identify the specific complex syntactic structures that CHL may struggle to master. An understanding of which aspects of complex syntax pose difficulties for CHL is necessary to inform the kind of intervention that will facilitate learning complex syntax for this cohort of children. This scoping review aims to identify what is currently known about the complex syntax use of CHL who communicate through spoken language, and uncover gaps in the literature to guide further research.

METHOD

Ascoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The Covidence software was utilized to manage the initial and full-text screening process for the search.

RESULTS

From a total of 304 studies, 42 studies were identified that met the eligibility criteria. The review highlights the use of broad-based language assessments and limited use of specific descriptions of the types of complex syntactic structures and skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the need for assessment protocols and analysis methods that better support the description of complex syntax profiles for CHL. School-age CHL continue to display challenges with complex syntax development. The review highlighted the need for further research to improve understanding of the complex syntax strengths and vulnerabilities of CHL. Further investigation is needed to better understand their ability to combine ideas and build complexity in their language use, which in turn can inform teaching in schools and interventions for children who require support.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21980177.