VARIABLES AFFECTING IMPLANT PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN

This study examined the variables that contribute to the large individ ual differences in the speech perception skills of children with the N ucleus multichannel cochlear implant. Sixty-one children were tested o n four measures of speech perception: two tests of closed-set word rec ognition, one test of open-set recognition of phrases, and one open-se t monosyllabic word test, scored on the basis of the percentage of pho nemes as well as words identified correctly. The results of a series o f multiple regression analyses revealed that the variables of processo r type, duration of deafness, communication mode, age at onset of deaf ness, length of implant use, and age implanted accounted for roughly 3 5% of the variance on two tests of closed-set word recognition, and 40 % of the variance on measures that assessed recognition of words or ph omenes in an open set. Length of implant use accounted for the most va riance on all of the speech perception measures.