Comparison of the overall intelligibility, articulation, resonance, and voice characteristics between children using cochlear implants and those using bilateral hearing aids: A pilot study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine and to compare the overall intelligibility, articulation, resonance, and voice characteristics in children using cochlear implants (CI) and children using conventional hearing aids (HA). Nine prelingually deaf children using CI and six children with a prelingual severe hearing loss using HA, were selected to participate. Objective (DSI, nasalance scores) as well as subjective assessment techniques (perceptual evaluations) were used. Both the CI and HA children demonstrated normal vocal quality and resonance but showed the presence of articulation disorders. In the CI children, intelligibility was significantly better compared to the HA children. Significantly more phonetic and phonological disorders were present in the HA children. The results of this study show a poorer intelligibility of the HA children in comparison with the CI children which is probably due to the occurrence of significantly more phonetic and phonological disorders. Future detailed analysis in a larger sample of CI and HA children may help further clarify the issue of speech and voice characteristics and may demonstrate an important prognostic value.

Nasalance and nasality in children with cochlear implants and children with hearing aids

“…The studies [17][18][19][20][21] mentioned contradictory findings concerning several aspects of nasality or nasalance and conclusions were based on small sample sizes (n < 10). The present study aimed to investigate nasalance and nasality in 36 CI children and 25 hearing aid users (10 of whom were moderately hearing-impaired and 15 severely hearing-impaired).…”

“…Even though these implants primarily facilitate speech perception, they are also an important aid in the development of several speech production skills, such as overall intelligibility [14][15][16], the production of vowels [2] and consonants [1]. The few studies which focused on resonance characteristics in children using CI [17][18][19][20][21] reported contradictory findings concerning several aspects of nasality or nasalance and conclusions were based on small sample sizes. Monini et al [17] evaluated nasality in 3 children and 2 adults and concluded a reduction of increased nasality after the activation of the CI.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only the pilot study of Van Lierde et al [19] has been found that used perceptual (nasality) as well as objective (nasalance) assessment techniques to compare resonance characteristics between CI children and children using conventional hearing aids (HA). Nonetheless, all conclusions of previous studies were based on small sample sizes.…”

“…Svirsky et al [18] also reported an improvement in oral-nasal balance in 5 pediatric CI users a few minutes after the CI had been turned on, suggesting that those children used the auditory signal to improve their control of nasalisation. Van Lierde et al [19] found a statistical difference between the nasalance scores for a nasal reading passage in 9 CI children and 6 HA children, measured by means of a Nasometer. The CI children had significantly lower nasalance percentages in comparison with the HA children and normative nasalance values [19].…”

“…Van Lierde et al [19] found a statistical difference between the nasalance scores for a nasal reading passage in 9 CI children and 6 HA children, measured by means of a Nasometer. The CI children had significantly lower nasalance percentages in comparison with the HA children and normative nasalance values [19]. This may reflect hyponasality.…”