Is social interaction of cochlear implanted children with normal intelligence undergoing auditory verbal therapy comparable with normal children A pilot study.’

Cochlear implant is a device that helps deaf children access sound signals as well as to improve their speech, language, and social interaction. Although various studies have investigated different aspects of speech perception and language acquisition in cochlear implanted children, less is known about their social skills especially that of Iranian Persian-speaking cochlear implanted children. With the growing number of cochlear implants in Iran, and the importance of developing near-normal social skills as one of the ultimate goals of cochlear implantation, this study was carried out to evaluate social interaction in Iranian cochlear implanted children who have undergone rehabilitation (auditory verbal therapy) after surgery in comparison with their normal hearing counterparts.Materials and Methods This descriptive-analytical study compares social interaction level of 13 normal hearing and 13cochlear implanted children who were selected conveniently. The RAVEN test was administered in both groups to ensure normal intelligence quotient. The social interaction status of both groups was evaluated by Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and statistical analysis was done by SPSS-.3.ResultsAfter controlling age as a covariate variable, no significant difference was observed between the two groups’ social interaction scores (P> 3232). In addition, social interaction had no correlation with gender in either groups.Conclusion Cochlear implantation followed by auditory verbal rehabilitation helps children suffering from sensorineural hearing loss to develop normally in social terms, regardless of their gender.

کلیدواژه ها:

Children ، Cochlear implantation ، Rehabilitation ، Social interaction.