Impact of Cochlear Implants (CIs) in Prelingual Deaf Children: A Synthesis of Available Evidences

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Profound hearing loss during childhood impacts the normal development of auditory and speech perception and language skills. Cochlear implants (CIs) have revolutionized the scenario of rehabilitation of profoundly deaf individuals, particularly the prelingual deaf. A prelingual deaf is congenitally deaf or has hearing loss before speech development. Objective: To perform a scoping review of available evidence for assessing the effects of CIs in prelingual deaf children on their auditory and speech perception and language development. Materials and Methods: A scoping review of research studies assessing the effects of CIs in prelingually deaf children was carried out in June 2022 using major databases such as PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science using appropriate keywords. To be included in the review, the studies were required to be full-text articles in the English language only, and the studies on adult populations were excluded. All the relevant studies found to be suitable for inclusion were classified under three subheadings: “Impact on Auditory perception,” “Impact on Speech perception and/or development,” and “Impact on “Language development.” Conclusion: CIs are a highly effective intervention in the treatment and rehabilitation of prelingually deaf children, although complex due to the interaction of variables that affect the implanted child’s performance. The factors found to influence it are the child’s age at the time of implantation, time of hearing sensorial deprivation, duration of use of a cochlear implant, and type of speech codification strategy used. More well-designed longitudinal studies with greater follow-up periods post-implantation are required to better understand the implantation complexity and its impact on prelingual deaf children.