Literacy Achievement and Early Cochlear Implantation in Deaf Children MWERA, Columbus, OH October 16, 2004

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Literacy Achievement and Early Cochlear
Implantation in Deaf ChildrenMWERA, Columbus,
OHOctober 16, 2004

• Lawrence W. Sherman and Teri L. Cruse
• Department of Educational Psychology
• Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056
• E-Mails to shermalw_at_muohio.edu

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Timeline of the history of Cochlear Implants

• 1985-1st cochlear implant system gained FDA
  approval
• 1990-FDA cleared Cochlear implant for children
• 1998-10,000 children implanted with cochlear
  implants
• 1999-FDA clearance for implants in children under
  12 months of age
• 2001-More than 36,000 implanted with a cochlear
  implant

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The Cochlear Implant
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The Auditory System
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Parts of a Cochlear Implant

• Microphone to pick up sound
• Processor that converts the sound to an
  electrical signal
• Transmission system that transmits the signal to
  the implanted electrodes.
• Electrode array that is inserted into the cochlea.

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How it works?

• The processor does not make the noise louder, but
  selects out important information in the speech
  signal and then produces a pattern of electrical
  pulses in the patient's ear.
• Mapping is done so patients electrodes are
  adjusted to for the loudest and softest pitch to
  be heard
• The different electrodes produce sounds with
  different pitch. The speech processor combines
  sounds on different electrodes with different
  loudness, to build up something as close to the
  original sound as possible

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Concerns about Changing of age requirement

• Concern about misdiagnosis
• Concern about safety of procedures
• Concern about long term reliability of device
• Concern about children and long term educational
  programs

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Major reason for Early Implantation

• Language development starts at birth
• There are critical periods for language
  development.
• Improved speech perception abilities would
  promote acquisition of beginning reading skills.
• Early implantation would help before language
  delays are established.

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Hypotheses

• Null Hypothesis-There will be no correlation
  between the age of implantation and reading
  achievement
• Research Hypothesis 1 there will be a negative
  correlation between the age of implantation and
  reading achievement.
• Research Hypothesis 2 there will be a positive
  correlation between the duration of implantation
  and reading achievement.

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The Sample

• 11 children
• Average age of children 7 years 6 months
• Average age of implantation 3 years 6 months
• Average Duration of implant use 4 years
• Average Performance IQ 107

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Test Used for Reading Achievement

• Woodcock-Johnson III
• Letter/Word Identification
• Identifies an aspect of reading decoding.
• It requires identifying and pronouncing isolated
  letters and words.
• Results influenced by speech production ability.
• Results given in Grade Equivalent scores
• Reading Comprehension
• Measures reading comprehension of contextual
  information
• No speech required
• Results given in Grade Equivalent Scores.

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Test used for Performance IQ

• Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children
• Used as a tool to determine school placement
• Used to determine the presence of learning
  disability
• Used in tracking intellectual development
• Mean of 100 with a standard deviation of ?15

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Analysis of Data

• Degree of Freedom9
• Alpha risk level of .01
• One tail test
• Correlations greater than .74 are Significant.
• Independent Variables-
• Age of implant and
• duration of use
• Dependent Variables-
• Letter Word Identification and
• Reading comprehension.

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Regression PlotsAge of implantation predicts
Letter Word Identification
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Age of Implantation predicts Reading Comprehension
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Duration of Implant Use predicts Letter/Word
Identification
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Duration of Implant Use predicts Reading
Comprehension
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Results of project

• Normed Grade Equivalent Score(hearing) is 2.2.
• Average Grade Equivalent Score for the 5 children
  implanted before 3 years of age is 2.1
• There is a significant (plt.01) negative
  correlation between age of implantation and
  academic achievement.
• There is a significant (plt.01) positive
  correlation between Duration of implant use and
  academic achievement.

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Discussion

• Cochlear implant Technology has offered the
  hearing impaired/deaf child many new benefits.
• Early implantation significantly affects reading
  achievement.
• Other factors do play a part in how beneficial
  the implant can be.
• A child who receives an implant is not a broken
  child in need of fixing, but can be seen as a
  child given an option to achievement things that
  may not have been possible 15 years ago.

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Discussion

• Not all children can benefit from a cochlear
  implant.
• Parents need as much information as possible to
  make an informed decision on implantation. This
  information must have both the advantages and
  disadvantages.