Vestibular Dysfunction and Gross Motor Milestone Acquisition in Children With Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective To describe the impact of vestibular dysfunction on gross motor development in children with hearing loss. Data Sources MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate), and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCO). Review Methods A systematic review was reported in concordance with the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses). Articles on children with hearing loss who underwent at least 1 instrumented measure of vestibular function and had gross motor milestones assessed were included. The Downs and Black checklist was used to assess risk of bias and methodological quality. Results Eleven articles were included in the systematic review. Three articles stratified quantitative results of gross motor milestone acquisition by severity of vestibular impairment. Over half of studies were case series published within the last 5 years. This systematic review showed that children with hearing loss and severe, bilateral vestibular dysfunction demonstrate delayed gross motor milestones. However, it was difficult to draw conclusions on whether milder forms of vestibular dysfunction significantly affect gross motor milestone acquisition in children with hearing loss. The reason is that most studies were of low to moderate quality, used different assessment methods, and contained results that were descriptive in nature. Conclusions This emerging area would benefit from future research, such as higher-quality studies to assess vestibular function and gross motor milestones. This would allow for better characterization of the impacts of vestibular impairment, especially milder forms, in children with hearing loss.

Vestibular Infant Screening–Flanders: What is the Most Appropriate Vestibular Screening Tool in Hearing-Impaired Children?

“…However, other conditions, such as prematurity, can also result in weak AIMS results. The current results were in line with previous studies that demonstrated the greatest delays in acquisition of gross motor milestones in children with hearing loss with bilateral vestibular deficits, whereas no clear distinction was found between bilateral normal vestibular function and unilateral vestibular deficits (Inoue et al 2013; Janky et al 2018; Singh et al 2021). Since young children can easily compensate for unilateral or partial vestibular loss and they are also highly dependent on other sensory input systems, such as vision and proprioception (Woollacott et al 1987; Hirabayashi & Iwasaki 1995), this may explain why the effect of vestibular impairment on gross motor performance is the most pronounced in case of a complete bilateral vestibular loss.…”

“…This is not surprising since the primary role of the semicircular canal (SCC) and otolith system is to provide information about rotational and translational head movements relative to gravity. However, the review of Singh et al (2021) shows that qualitative research about the effect of unilateral or milder forms of vestibular deficits on gross motor development is still lacking (Singh et al 2021). Moreover, vestibular deficits can also affect gaze stabilization by decreasing the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), which consequently can disturb smooth eye-hand coordination (Casselbrant & Mandel 2005; McCaslin et al 2011; O’Reilly et al 2011; Wiener-Vacher et al 2013).…”

IGST Combined with Conventional Drug Therapy and TCM Therapy for Treatment of Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

“…Higher scores were considered better QOL. The time point for comparison was 30 days after treatment [ 20 – 23 ].…”

From Genotype to Phenotype—A Review of Kabuki Syndrome

“…Dysarthria is not uncommon (10–26%) and may be underestimated [ 68 ]. Vestibular dysfunction also contributes to gross motor delay [ 69 ]. The estimated prevalence of epilepsy is 17%, with the age of onset ranging from infancy to adolescence [ 70 , 71 , 72 ].…”