Speech perception performance in prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants

The goals of this study were to report on mean values of speech perception performance in prelingually deaf children implanted with a Combi 40/40 + co chlear implant. A total of 31 patients were included in the study. The time span ranged over 3 years, during which time the Evaluation of Auditory Res ponses to Speech (EARS) test battery was used with the children. The EARS b attery contains foul measures of closed-set speech perception and three ope n-set tests. The mean test results exhibited steady improvement on all part s of the EARS test battery, even up to 3 years post-implantation. The preop erative scores for the Listening Progress Profile (LiP) were 4%, rising to 93% at 36 months post-implantation. Results for the open-set testing measur es were most encouraging, with some children reaching fairly high levels of speech perception, receiving scores as high as 100% by the 30-month evalua tion. The congenitally and prelingually deaf children in our study showed c ontinuous improvement in both closed and open set speech perception followi ng cochlear implantation, although variability in individual performance am ong the children was noted.