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Age at implantation and development of vocal and auditory preverbal skills in implanted deaf children

M.E. Taita, T.P. Nikolopoulosb, , and M.E. Lutmanc
a The Ear Foundation, Nottingham, United Kingdom
b Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Athens University, Greece
c Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Received 13 September 2006; revised 16 December 2006; accepted 18 December 2006. Available online 18 January 2007.





Summary

Background

Preverbal vocal and auditory skills are essential precursors of spoken language development and they have been shown previously to predict later speech perception and production outcomes in young implanted deaf children.

Objectives

To assess the effect of age at implantation on the development of vocal and auditory preverbal skills in implanted children.

Methods

The study assessed 99 children, 33 in each of three groups (those implanted between 1 and 2 years; 2 and 3 years; and 3 and 4 years). Preverbal skills were measured in three areas: turn taking, autonomy and auditory awareness of spoken language, using the Tait video analysis method.

Results

The youngest implanted group made an exceptional progress outperforming in all measures the two other groups (p <>

Keywords: Language development; Speech perception; Cochlear implant; Prediction; Vocal; auditory; Communication; Preverbal; Observation; Interaction; Deaf; Children; Outcome