Speech intelligibility and auditory perception of pre-school children with Hearing Aid, cochlear implant and Typical Hearing

Abstract

PurposeThere is a growing interest in speech intelligibility and auditory perception of deaf children. The aim of the present study was to compare speech intelligibility and auditory perception of pre-school children with Hearing Aid (HA), Cochlear Implant (CI), and Typical Hearing (TH). MethodsThe research design was descriptive-analytic and comparative. The participants comprised 75 male pre-school children aged 4–6 years in the 2017–2018 from Tehran, Iran. The participants were divided into three groups, and each group consisted of 25 children. The first and second groups were respectively selected from pre-school children with HA and CI using the convenience sampling method, while the third group was selected from pre-school children with TH by random sampling method. All children completed Speech Intelligibility Rating and Categories of Auditory Performance Questionnaires. ResultsThe findings indicated that the mean scores of speech intelligibility and auditory perception of the group with TH were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P < 0.0001). The mean scores of speech intelligibility in the group with CI did not significantly differ from those of the group with HA (P < 0.38). Also, the mean scores of auditory perception in the group with CI were significantly higher than those of the group with HA (P < 0.002). ConclusionThe results showed that auditory perception in children with CI was significantly higher than children with HA. This finding highlights the importance of cochlear implantation at a younger age and its significant impact on auditory perception in deaf children.