Deaf children who receive cochlear implants have as much as five times more likely to experience cognitive delays as children with normal hearing.
The delays can range from issues in "working memory, controlled attention, planning and conceptual learning," an Indiana University news release reported.
The researchers looked at 73 children who had received the implant before the age of seven and 78 children with normal hearing.
"In this study, about one-third to one-half of children with cochlear implants were found to be at-risk for delays in areas of parent-rated executive functioning such as concept formation, memory, controlled attention and planning. This rate was 2 to 5 times greater than that seen in normal-hearing children," First author William G. Kronenberger, Ph.D., professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine said in the news release.
The researchers hope this study will lead to new interventions for children with cochlear implants.
"The ultimate goal of our department's research with cochlear implants has always been to influence higher-level neurocognitive functioning," Richard T. Miyamoto, M.D., chair of the IU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, said in the news release. "Much of the success we have seen to date clearly relates to the brain's ability to process an incomplete signal. The current research will further assist in identifying gaps in our knowledge."
Earlier implantation could be a possible solution. Children have been getting these implants earlier and earlier, which could help improve cognitive function.
Children's functions in these areas tend to improve after they have received their implant, no matter what age.
These results show that half or more of our group with cochlear implants did not have significant delays in executive functioning," Dr. Kronenberger said. "Cochlear implants produce remarkable gains in spoken language and other neurocognitive skills, but there is a certain amount of learning and catch-up that needs to take place with children who have experienced a hearing loss prior to cochlear implantation. So far, most of the interventions to help with this learning have focused on speech and language. Our findings show a need to identify and help some children in certain domains of executive functioning as well."
