No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

This study examined the variables that contribute to the large individual differences in the speech perception skills of children with the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant. Sixty-one children were tested on four measures of speech perception: two tests of closed-set word recognition, one test of open-set recognition of phrases, and one open-set monosyllabic word test, scored on the basis of the percentage of phonemes as well as words identified correctly. The results of a series of multiple regression analyses revealed that the variables of processor type, duration of deafness, communication mode, age at onset of deafness, length of implant use, and age implanted accounted for roughly 35% of the variance on two tests of closed-set word recognition, and 40% of the variance on measures that assessed recognition of words or phonemes in an open set. Length of implant use accounted for the most variance on all of the speech perception measures.

We investigated the relationship between results of preoperative transtympanic electrical promontory stimulation, duration of deafness, postoperative implanted psychophysical results, and postoperative speech and speech sound recognition as indicated by a battery of five tests. Our subjects were 10 patients implanted with the Cochlear Corporation multielectrode implant, 1 year postimplantation, with a minimum of 17 active electrodes programmed in the bipolar + 1 mode. The results indicated that preoperative promontory thresholds, the slope of the threshold function, and the duration of auditory deprivation are excellent predictors of postoperative speech and speech sound recognition in the auditory (processor alone) mode. These results have significant implications for patient selection and counseling.

The findings of this study indicate that both groups derive significant benefit from their cochlear implants. Although the mean preoperative audiograms for the implanted ears did not differ significantly for the two groups of subjects, members of the Borderline group exhibited significantly better speech recognition skills than the Traditional group during the first year after implantation. These findings suggest that the increased auditory experience of the Borderline subjects positively influenced their performance with a cochlear implant. The authors advocate that the selection criteria used to determine pediatric cochlear implant candidacy be broadened to include consideration of children who demonstrate minimal open-set speech recognition skills.

Preoperative and postoperative efficacy results are reported for the first 58 children with 18 months of implant experience in the United States. A within-subjects repeated-measures design was used to compare preoperative performance with hearing aids to postoperative performance with the CLARION® Multi-Strategy™ Cochlear Implant. The results revealed significant improvement over time on all speech perception measures. Higher scores and faster rates of progress were demonstrated by the children who used oral communication compared to children who used total communication, especially older children. The overall results suggest higher levels of performance and more rapid progress in the development of listening skills than has been reported in previous clinical trials with children. The latter finding appears to be due to advances in implant technology and changes in the demographic characteristics of the study groups. KEY WORDS-children, cochlear implant, communication mode.