Researching auditory perception performances of children using cochlear implants and being trained by an auditory verbal therapy

Aim: The main goal of this study is to examine the development of auditory perception performances of children who use cochlear implants who receive auditory verbal therapy. Materials and Methods: This study includes 15 children with prelinguistic hearing loss who received cochlear implants in Hacettepe University Department of ENT who enrolled in auditory verbal therapy in the Training Unit of Hearing and Speaking Abilities. These hearing impaired children participated in auditory verbal therapy with their mothers and/or fathers for 12 months, and the family was given training programs to apply at home after each therapy session. The auditory perception performances of children were evaluated before implantation and on the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th months with the help of ITMAIS/ MAIS (Infant-Toddler/ Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale), LIP (Listening Process Profile), Ling's Five Sound Test and MTP (Monosyllable, Prochee and Polysyllable Test). Results: The auditory perception performances of children joining auditory verbal therapy programs increased at a rapid pace after implantation, especially in the 1st and 3rd months (p<0.01), and reached the maximum level in the 12th month. Conclusion: The auditory perception performances of children develop rapidly with a combination of early cochlear implantation and regular auditory verbal therapy. As a result, children should be included in auditory verbal therapy after cochlear implantation with the aim of supporting their hearing, expressive speech and language development.