The characteristics of speech,phone and cognition development of children with mild hearing loss and the effect of early intervention / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the characteristics of speech,phone and cognition development of infants and toddlers with mild hearing loss and to study the effect of early intervention.Methods Speech and cognition abilities of 59 children with mild hearing loss,aged 8 months to 2 years and 10 months old were assessed and 34 normal hearing children,aged 8 months to 2 years and 9 months old were compared.Eighteen children with hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids and received speech therapy for 6 months.The participants' speech and cognition development were evaluated with Gesell developmental scale.The phone test was adopted to assess the speech sound development in 59 children with mild hearing loss.Results Of the 59 children with mild hearing loss,37 were judged with normal speech development quotients(DQ),8 with abnormal speech DQ,14 suspect of abnormal speech DQ.The hearing loss in cases with abnormal speech DQ was more serious than that in cases with normal speech DQ(P＜0.05).The speech DQ and personal-social behavior DQ of children with mild hearing loss were significantly lower than normal children(P＜0.01).The speech DQ and personal-social DQ on Gesell developmental scales were significantly higher in 18 children received early intervention,compared with those who did not receive intervention (P＜0.01).Six cases with mild hearing loss demonstrated phone errors,but no abnormal manifestations in tone.After early intervention the phone of those with mild hearing loss improved significantly.No significant difference in gross motor,fine motor and adaptive ability was observed between the children with mild hearing loss and those with normal hearing(P＞0.05).Conclusion The speech ability of children with mild hearing loss is significantly lower than those with normal hearing.Some mild hearing loss children show phone errors.Mild hearing loss affect the adaptation and communication abilities of mild hearing loss children significantly.Early intervention can significantly improve the speech,phone,adaptation and communication abilities of children with mild hearing loss.