The influence of a vestibular dysfunction on the motor development of hearing‐impaired children

Abstract

Hearing-impaired children are at risk for balance deficits. A combination of rotatory chair testing and VEMP testing can predict the balance performance.

Evaluation of the Vestibular System and Etiology in Children with Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss

“…In the study by Yulian et al [30] on athletes with congenital hearing loss, 75% of the patients had normal VEMP waves. In contrast, Kegel et al [31] found a high incidence of VEMP response absence among hearing-impaired children. In our study, the VEMP response was absent unilaterally in three patients (9.09%).…”

Rotatory and Collic Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential Testing in Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Children

“…These findings emphasize the necessity of vestibular assessment in hearing-impaired children because the integrity of the vestibular system is a critical factor for motor and psychological development (Wiener-Vacher et al 1996;Casselbrant et al 2000;Shinjo et al 2007;Luxon & Mäki-Torkko 2008;De Kegel et al 2012;Singh et al 2012). The study by De Kegel et al (2012) specifically demonstrated a strong correlation between cVEMP testing and motor performance in hearing-impaired children, with absent cVEMP responses resulting in significant weaker performance on static balance measures. Consequently, rehabilitation programs can be started at an early age, improving motor performance and the child's quality of life.…”

“…The close anatomical relationship between the peripheral auditory and vestibular end organs ensures that disturbances to the inner ear are likely to affect not only hearing but also the sense of balance (Tribukait et al 2004;Cushing et al 2009). The literature indicates that 20 to 85% of children with sensorineural hearing loss demonstrate an element of vestibular dysfunction (Arnvig 1955;Angeli 2003;Shinjo et al 2007;Cushing et al 2008;Kaga et al 2008;O'Reilly et al 2011) and are even more prone to developing delays in their gross motor development than their normal-hearing counterparts (Wiener-Vacher 2008;De Kegel et al 2012).…”

Examining the Impact of Cochlear Implantation on the Early Gross Motor Development of Children With a Hearing Loss

“…The fact that the implanted children showed a drop in their gross motor development but not in their fine motor development could support a vestibular origin for the changes in the gross motor trajectory after implantation because fine motor functioning is less influenced by the vestibular information (Horak et al 1988;De Kegel et al 2012b). In addition, the implanted children showed a trend to recovery in motor and balance function toward the age of 2 years.…”

“…A few studies showed a strong association between vestibular function test results and the clinical balance performance (Horak et al 1988;Cushing et al 2008;Shall 2009;Jafari & Asad Malayeri 2011;De Kegel et al 2012b).…”