Cochlear implant and lexical diversity development in deaf children: intra- and interindividual differences.

Abstract

Cochlear implants help children with severe hearing difficulties achieve access to verbal language. We possess evidence of the capacities of perception and discrimination skills as well as knowledge relating to the development of verbal productions and intelligibility. In contrast, little work has been undertaken concerning the spontaneous use of language by children with implants in interactions with their friends and family. At the same time, the high level of variability observed in the language acquisition speed profiles has led us to consider the role of a number of variables. We hypothesized that the insertion of an implant and the consequent access to sound information should be followed by an increase in the number of different words used in spontaneous play interaction. The latter follows a different developmental process correlating to the age of the child at implantation, to the type of communication mode used before implantation, to the school integration level in a normal hearing environment (thus relating to the demands made on a verbal communication mode), and to the sex of the child. 38 pre-lingually deaf children (mean age: 3;08) using cochlear implants were filmed at regular intervals over a period of a year. Results tend to show that only school integration in a hearing environment seems to be a determining factor with regard to the development of lexical diversity in deaf children who have received implants. The demands made by age group peers seem to favor the use of verbal language and cause it to develop at a faster rate.