Abstract
Children with hearing deficits frequently have delayed motor development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate saccular function in children with hearing impairments using the Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP). The impact of the saccular hypofunction on the timely maturation of normal balance strategies was examined using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC). Thirty-three children with bilateral severe/profound hearing impairment between 4 and 7 years of age were recruited from a three-state area. Approximately half of the sample had one or bilateral cochlear implants, one used bilateral hearing aids, and the rest used no amplification. Parents reported whether the hearing impairment was diagnosed within the first year or after 2 years of age. No VEMP was evoked in two thirds of the hearing impaired (HI) children in response to the bone-conducted stimulus. Children who were reportedly hearing impaired since birth had significantly poorer scores when tested with the Movement ABC.
Highlights
Most newborn infants are screened for hearing impairment prior to leaving the hospital
A Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) was identified on both sides in only 4 of the hearing impaired (HI) children (3 of these children were identified as HI at birth)
Four children with normal hearing of the same age as the four HI children with normal VEMP were recruited for comparison
Summary
Most newborn infants are screened for hearing impairment prior to leaving the hospital. The vestibular nuclei provide a consistent input to the postural muscle motoneurons during initial postnatal development [1]. The development of righting and locomotor skills should parallel sensory system development and motivation. The vestibular receptors mature at about the same rate as the auditory system; the maculae of the saccule and utricle mature first (∼P10) and the cristae of the semicircular canals develop a little more slowly to reach the adult form at about 24 days after birth [7], and the ferrets begin walking at about P24. Neonatal removal of the vestibular labyrinths in ferrets [8] and rats [9] has resulted in changes in muscle physiology and muscle fiber type, persistent unstable standing balance, and reduced velocity of locomotion. Animals that undergo labyrinthectomies as a juvenile or an adult may have some loss of balance reactions but adapt quickly and do not change the anatomy and physiology of the muscles
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