Auditory and language skills in children with auditory brainstem implants

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to characterize the development of auditory and language skills in children during the first 3 years of auditory brainstem implant (ABI) use. Method: It is a retrospective longitudinal analysis of auditory and language skills in 12 children and pre-adolescents with pre-lingual deafness following ABI surgery (mean age at surgery: 4 years; age range: 2-11 years). Responses were analyzed aboutInfant Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS), MAIS, and Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS) at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months after ABI activation. Results: Maximum IT-MAIS/MAIS and MUSS scores after 3 years of ABI use were 45.35% and 35.28%, respectively. Conclusion: Pediatric patients exhibit slow progressive development of auditory and language skills following ABI activation.