Pediatric Auditory Brainstem Implant Users Compared With Cochlear Implant Users With Additional Disabilities

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate long-term language development in children with prelingual deafness who received auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) compared with children who received cochlear implants (CIs) at the same hospital. Additional non-auditory disabilities were taken into account. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Ten children with bilateral malformations of the cochlea and/or cochlear nerve who received ABIs, including seven with additional disabilities, and 147 children with CIs as a reference group, including 22 children with additional disabilities. Intervention: ABIs were implanted at 1.3 to 6.2 years of age. Follow-up ranged from 1.1 to 7.7 years. Main Outcome Measures: Receptive and expressive language abilities were assessed using the Infant Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS), the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), the Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS), and the Speech Intelligibility Rate (SIR). Results: Of the 10 children with ABIs, seven had long-term follow-up data. Within 1 year, six of the seven children with ABIs could identify sounds, respond to speech, and use their voice to attract attention. Language skills developed at a slower rate than in children with CIs and reached the same competence level when additional disabilities were absent. These language skills matched, on average, those of children with CIs with additional disabilities. Conclusion: For deaf children with bilateral inner ear malformations, ABIs provide satisfactory auditory input. Children with ABIs are able to develop receptive and expressive language skills comparable to those of children with CIs with additional disabilities. Using this knowledge, preoperative parent counselling can be refined.

Emotions in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing and Typically Hearing Children

“…Moreover, the DHH children in our sample did not have additional diagnoses or disabilities. It should be noted that a considerable number of DHH children in the general population do have additional disabilities, which is not only known to be linked to more difficulties with emotional and social functioning (Dammeyer et al., 2010) but also to lower speech and language scores ( Van der Straaten et al., 2019 ). It would be worthwhile to conduct a similar study in a sample of DHH children with additional disabilities.…”

Speech production accuracy of children with auditory brainstem implants: A comparison with peers with cochlear implants and typical hearing using Levenshtein Distance

“…Some children are able to detect ambient sounds after 2 weeks of ABI use, whereas others need up to 18 months of ABI use (Teagle et al, 2018). Speech perception (and production skills as well) are more developed in children with ABI with lower hearing thresholds after surgery , in children who are implanted earlier (Aslan et al, 2020) and in children with no additional disabilities (Colletti et al, 2014;Sennaroglu, Colletti, et al, 2016;van der Straaten et al, 2019). Only the so-called good performers are able to develop open set speech perception and to understand simple phrases without lip-reading (Aslan et al, 2020;Bayazit et al, 2014;Colletti et al, 2014;van der Straaten et al, 2019;Yucel et al, 2015).…”

“…Speech perception (and production skills as well) are more developed in children with ABI with lower hearing thresholds after surgery , in children who are implanted earlier (Aslan et al, 2020) and in children with no additional disabilities (Colletti et al, 2014;Sennaroglu, Colletti, et al, 2016;van der Straaten et al, 2019). Only the so-called good performers are able to develop open set speech perception and to understand simple phrases without lip-reading (Aslan et al, 2020;Bayazit et al, 2014;Colletti et al, 2014;van der Straaten et al, 2019;Yucel et al, 2015). These good performers continue to improve their speech perception skills up to 5 years of device use (Sung et al, 2018;van der Straaten et al, 2019).…”

“…Only the so-called good performers are able to develop open set speech perception and to understand simple phrases without lip-reading (Aslan et al, 2020;Bayazit et al, 2014;Colletti et al, 2014;van der Straaten et al, 2019;Yucel et al, 2015). These good performers continue to improve their speech perception skills up to 5 years of device use (Sung et al, 2018;van der Straaten et al, 2019).…”

“…With open set speech perception, the better performing children with ABI are able to achieve speech production as well. Nevertheless, speech production appears to be difficult for children with ABI; they tend to be only intelligible for experienced and familiar listeners even after 5-6 years of ABI use van der Straaten et al, 2019).…”