Cognitive Development and Cochlear Implants

Paper Summary:

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is surgically embedded in the mastoid and an electrode array is surgically inserted in the cochlea. The device receives sound which is transmitted to the residual auditory nerve fibers in the cochlea. The author of the paper examines the effect of a cochlear implant on deaf children's cognitive development. The writer points to a number of research projects which show that the cognitive development of a deaf child is slower than that of a hearing child. The writer then goes on to examine the benefits such an implant brings to the deaf child.

From the Paper:

"There have been studies that compare the communication and intellectual differences among children with and without cochlear implants, and among normal-hearing children. Thirty to forty percent of children with profound hearing loss will present with developmental delays in differing areas compared to those who can hear. Children with hearing disabilities also have a difficult time learning abstract words such as jealous or before and after; they also have difficulty learning words with multiple meanings. Children who have had their implants before the age of 5 have shown progress in language development at rates close or equal to that of hearing children (Bat-Chava, Martin, and Kosciw, 2005). The goal of early cochlear implant is to lessen the language gap between deaf children and those who can hear. It has also been found that children who are trained in oral communication have far better results in speech perception and production than those who are trained in total communication. Oral communication makes use of hearing and speech to learn language. On the other hand, total communication involves the learning of language through sign and oral communication strategies. The use of oral communication is made possible for children with profound hearing loss through cochlear implants."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2007). Effects of hearing loss on development. [Online] Retrieved 21 Feb 2008 from the Website: http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/effects.htm.
• Bat-Chava, Y., Martin, D. & Kosciw, J.G. (2005). "Longitudinal improvements in communication and socialization of deaf children with cochlear implants and hearing aids: evidence from parental reports." Journal of child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(12): 1287 - 1296.
• Goller, Y. (2006). "Cochlear implantation in children: implications for the primary care provider." Journal of American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18: 397 - 408
• Maner-idrissi, P., Delauney, J. & D'Haese, P.S.C. (2007). Communication skills and cognitive development of implanted children: a longitudinal study. [Online] Retrieved 21 Feb 2008 from the Website: http://www.medel.com.ar/ENG/US/50_Resources/30_Conference_presentations/30_Manchester_Sept_2002/060_manchester_cognitive.asp.
• Schlumberg, E., Narbona, J. & Manrique, M. (2004). "Non-verbal development of children with deafness and without cochlear implants." Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 46: 599-606.

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