RESUMO
BACKGROUND: As the population of children received a cochlear implant at an early age is increasing, there is a need to test speech perception ability for the young children. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate speech perception ability for young children using a cochlear implant with Vowel and Consonant Imitation test. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects were nine children with prelingual deafness who had at least 6 months of experience with Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant. The age at implantation ranged from 3 years and 5 months to 10 years and 11 months. A 14-set vowel imitation test in a "hVd" environment and a 18-set consonant imitation test in a "aCa" environment(Vowel and Consonant Imitation test) and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test(PPVT) were administered with audition alone at 6 month intervals from initial stimulation. RESULTS: Six out of 9 children performed above chance on the Vowel and Consonant Imitation test at 6 months from initial stimulation. The average scores for vowel and consonant were 34%(range: 0-79) and 22%(range: 0-47) correct, respectively. Generally, the Vowel and Consonant Imitation test scores and PPVT equivalent ages were increased over time. CONCLUSION: The Vowel and Consonant Imitation test appears to be a useful tool for assessment of speech perception ability of young children with a cochlear implant.