Development of auditory and language skills in children using cochlear implants with two signal processing strategies

The increase in the spectral information offered by the sound processing strategy HiRes 120 has led to great expectations for the pediatric population. Due to a shorter duration of auditory deprivation and higher neural plasticity, children could benefit more substantially from the spectral information of this sound processing strategy. To compare auditory and language skills in Brazilian children with cochlear implants using the HiRes and HiRes 120 sound processing strategies. Thirty children, aged 1–3 years, with congenital hearing loss, were divided into two groups, according to the signal processing strategy adjusted at the time of the cochlear implant activation. The assessed children were matched according to chronological age and the time of the cochlear implant use. The auditory and language skills were evaluated longitudinally through the Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and Production Infant Scale Evaluation, carried out before surgery, and 3, 6 and 12 months after device implantation. The Mann–Whitney test was applied for the comparison between the two groups with a 5% significance level. The findings indicated development of hearing and language skills in the first year of cochlear implant use; however, there was no statistically significant difference in the evolution of such skills due to the adjusted processing strategy in the activation of the cochlear implant electrodes. The development of auditory and language skills in the assessed children was similar during the entire study period, regardless of which signal processing strategy was used. O aumento das informações espectrais proporcionado pela estratégia de processamento de sinal HiRes 120 gera expectativas em relação à população pediátrica, uma vez que devido ao curto período de privação sensorial e da maior plasticidade neural, as crianças poderiam se beneficiar de forma mais substancial das informações espectrais dessa estratégia de processamento de sinal. Comparar as habilidades auditivas e de linguagem em crianças usuárias de implante coclear, com a estratégia de processamento de sinal HiRes e HiRes 120. Trinta crianças de um a três anos e com perda auditiva congênita foram divididas em dois grupos, de acordo com a estratégia de processamento de sinal ajustada no momento da ativação do implante coclear. As crianças avaliadas foram pareadas de acordo com a idade cronológica e o tempo de uso do implante coclear. As habilidades auditivas e de linguagem foram avalia