Influence of family environment on the development of speech and language in pre-lingually deaf children after cochlear implantation.

Abstract

To investigate the influence of family environment on the development of speech and language in pre-school children after cochlear implantation. A total of 88 pre-lingually deaf children, aged 2-5years, who received cochlear implantation, were included in this study. All families completed a self-report family environment questionnaire (FES). The deaf children's linguistic progress was assessed by Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) at 0, 3, 6 and 12months after implantation. The family environment was the significant factor associated with CAP and SIR at 6months post-implantation. The children in families with higher levels of Cohesion, Intellectual-Cultural Orientation and the ability to express emotion effectively had better auditory and speech abilities, while children in families with low intimacy and high incompatibility exhibited a delay in the development of auditory speech (P<.05). The development of speech and language in pre-lingually deaf children after cochlear implantation can be influenced by family environment and parents' roles.