Positive effects of hearing and speech rehabilitation on lexical range quality in hearing impaired children

Abstract

Background/Aim. Initial experiences in rehabilitation of children with cochlear implants and frequent debates regarding the effects of their application have imposed the necessity to compare the effects of speech rehabilitation in children with hearing aids with those having cochlear implants. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the level of lexical development in hearing impaired children who are involved in the process of hearing and speech-language rehabilitation and who were amplified by hearing aids or cochlear implants. Methods. The sample consisted of 55 children aged 3-6 years, diagnosed with prelingual bilateral hearing impairment with a hearing threshold above 90 dB. All examined children had average intellectual abilities and no additonal impairments. The sample was divided into 2 groups: E1 group consisted of 30 children with cochlear implants and E2 group consisted of 25 children who were amplified by individual hearing aids. Research methodology included a Test of Vocabulary. The testing was performed individually. A year after the testing, a retest was done. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS v. 17 for Windows. Results. The largest number of children had average achievements on a Test of Vocabulary during initial testing. After a year (retest) significant improvements were noticed. A large number of children had above average achievements (46.7% in the E1 and 36% in the E2 group) while the number of children with below average achievements was significantly reduced (3.3% in the E1 and 8% in the E2). A comparative analysis of the test and those with gearing aids achievements showed that there was no statistically significant difference between children with cochlear implants and retest. Conclusion. Significant improvement of the achievements on retest in both groups can be explained by positive effects of systematic, planned, intensive and continuous rehabilitation of hearing impaired children, and not by application of certain type of hearing amplification.

Uvod/Cilj. Početna iskustva sa rehabilitacijom dece sa kohlearnim implantima i česte debate u vezi efekata njihove primene nameću neophodnost poređenja efekata rehabilitacije govora dece sa slušnim pomagalima sa decom koja imaju kohlearne implante. Cilj ovog rada bio je da se proceni i uporedi nivo razvijenosti leksičkog fonda dece oštećenog sluha koja su uključena u proces rehabilitacije slušanja i govora, a koja su amplifikovana slušnim aparatima ili kohlearnim implantom. Metode. Uzorak je obuhvatio 55-oro dece uzrasta 3-6 godina kod kojih je dijagnostifikovano prelingvalno obostrano oštećenje sluha sa pragom čujnosti od preko 90 dB. Sva deca, su imala prosečne intelektualne sposobnosti i bila su bez dodatnih oštećenja. Uzorak je podeljen na grupu dece koja su kohlearno implantirana (E1 grupa = 30) i grupu dece koja su amplifikovana individualnim slušnim aparatima (E2 grupa = 25). U istraživanju je korišćen Test rečnik. Testiranje je obavljano individualno. Nakon godinu dana od testiranja, rađen je retest. Statistička obrada rezultata izvršena je pomoću je programom SPSS v. 17 for WIDOWS. Rezultati. Najveći broj ispitanika pokazao je prosečna postignuća na Test rečniku, na prvom testiranju. Nakon godinu dana (na retestu) uočena su značajna poboljšanja. Veliki broj ispitanika imao je iznadprosečna postignuća (46,7% u grupi E1 i 36% u grupi E2), a smanjen je i broj ispitanika koji su imali ispodprosečna postignuća (3.3% u grupi E1 i 8% u grupi E2). Komparativnom analizom postignuća dece (na testu i retestu) sa kohlearnim implantom i dece sa individualnim slušnim aparatima primećeno je da između pomenutih grupa ispitanika nije bilo statistički značajne razlike. Zaključak. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata istraživanja možemo zaključiti da je značajno poboljšanje postignuća ispitanika na retestu u obe ispitivane grupe moguće objasniti pozitivnim efektima sistematski planirane, intenzivne i kontinuirane rehabilitacije dece oštećenog sluha, a ne primenom određenog tipa slušne amplifikacije.