Speech and language skills of Maltese children with bilateral cochlear implants : three case studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the speech and language skills of three Maltese children with bilateral cochlear implants. One child was simultaneously implanted and had a hearing age (HA) of 2;10 years at the time of testing, another was sequentially implanted and had a HA of 3;06 years, while the third child was sequentially implanted and had a HA of 5;03 years. Maltese standardised speech and language assessments were used to gather information on the children’s speech and language skills, with data being collected during their speech and language therapy sessions. Following data transcription and analysis, the participants’ speech and language abilities were compared to those of their HA- and chronological age (CA)-matched peers using available norms for Maltese children. Additional information regarding the children’s speech and language history prior to and post-implantation was also collected, providing a holistic overview of the participants’ speech and language development. Results indicated that the children presented with speech and language delay when compared to their CA-matched peers. Variations across the participants were found in specific language skills. Similarities in language patterns were also noted, including expressive abilities in advance of receptive skills. These findings extend the limited data on the speech and language skills of Maltese children with cochlear implants, with comparison to norms for typically-developing children being a novel approach to research in this area.