Cochlear Implantation and Assessment of Speech in Children

Abstract

Cochlea is a hollow, spiral shaped bone in the inner ear that has sense of hearing and to produce sound. Cochlear problems, or its damage can result in loss of hearing. This study was designed to access intelligibility of speech in children with cochlear implants. A total of 30 subjects (7 to 42 months) from Fatima Memorial College of Medicine and Dentistry were considered which were implanted with cochlea from October 2012 to December 2012. A pre-designed questionnaire was used for the data collection in order to collect the views from the parents of children with cochlear implants regarding the intelligibility of conversational speech produced by their children. It was noticed a 26 (86.7%) of the 30 youngsters who had cochlear implants were able to understand what was being said by their speakers. Moreover, parents and other listeners try to understand the conversation that cochlear implant’s recipients make. It was concluded cochlear implants found useful and recommended for improving hearing of impaired individuals.