Abstract
Objective: To determine the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing impairment towards the efficacy of a cochlear implant (CI) regarding language development Method: A qualitative, observational study was carried out in Sri Lanka with regard to the hearing impaired (HI) children who underwent cochlear implants. They were recruited with the permission of their parents. The sample of HI children was obtained from places where hearing aids and cochlear implants were being sold in Sri Lanka and from the hospitals where they underwent cochlear implant surgery. Data were collected through direct observation as and when these HI cochlear implanted children showed changes in the process of language acquisition. Focus group discussions with ENT surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists and parents of these HI children were helpful in collecting data. Results: Twelve HI children were recruited into this study 6 of them being prelingual HI and the others postlingual HI. Irrespective of being prelingual HI or postlingual HI, the 8 who received the implant early in their life showed better language proficiency. Conclusion: Early identification of hearing impairments in children and early intervention with cochlear implant lead to better language proficiency. (Key words: Cochlear implant; hearing impairment; children) http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v42i2.5629
Highlights
Hearing impairment is a disability which can be classified as prelingual hearing impairment and postlingual hearing impairment[1]
Once individuals are found to have severe to profound hearing loss they should be supported by a cochlear implant as their auditory levels cannot be further supported by normal hearing aids
The researcher was able to find the sample of hearing impaired children from the places where hearing aids and cochlear implants were being sold in Sri Lanka and from the hospitals where they underwent CI surgery
Summary
Hearing impairment is a disability which can be classified as prelingual hearing impairment and postlingual hearing impairment[1]. Hearing impaired (HI) individual is someone whose hearing loss occurred before they began to speak, whereas a postlingual HI individual loses his/her hearing after he/she has learned to speak[1]. Hearing impairment could be classified as mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing losses[1]. Once individuals are found to have severe to profound hearing loss they should be supported by a cochlear implant as their auditory levels cannot be further supported by normal hearing aids. A cochlear implant (CI) is a small, complex electronic device that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing[2]. An implant does not restore normal hearing but can give a deaf person useful representation of environmental sounds and help him or her understand speech[2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
