ASSESSMENT OF BASAL SOUND IDENTIFICATION SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION ABILITIES IN PROFOUNDLY DEAF-CHILDREN FITTED WITH HEARING-AIDS OR A COCHLEAR IMPLANT

Basal auditory functions and early verbal communication skills were ex amined in young, profoundly deaf children with hearing aids or a cochl ear implant. The hearing aid users (n = 23) were subdivided on the bas is of their (unaided) hearing thresholds into: group A (pure tone aver age (PTA) at 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz: 90-100 dB HL); group B (PTA: 100-110 dB HL); and group C (PTA > 110 dB HL). All the children with a cochlear implant (n = 20) had a profound sensorineural hearing loss with a PTA that exceeded 120 dB HL. Functional hearing was evaluated by means of basal sound identification. The child's communication abilities with h earing aids or a cochlear implant were assessed using structured obser vations on the Scales of Early Communication Skills for Hearing Impair ed Children. The basal auditory functions on a sound identification le vel improved over time in the cochlear implant users and groups A and B. Hardly any improvement was seen in group C. The performance of all the groups (either hearing aid or cochlear implant) on the Scales of E arly Communication Skills for Hearing Impaired Children at 6 months af ter fitting the device and at later evaluations, was close to the aver age level for their age.