Cognitive improvement after cochlear implantation in deaf children with associated disabilities

Aims: To monitor functional auditory and non-verbal cognitive skills in children with cochlear implants who had associated disabilities over a 24-month period and define how cochlear implantation may impact on non-verbal cognition by restoring functional auditory skills. Method: Sixty-four children with cochlear implants (36 females, 28 males; mean age 4y 3mo, SD 3y 5mo, 9mo–14y 5mo) were recruited and divided into three groups: children with typical development group (TDG); children with associated disabilities not linked to non-verbal cognitive disorders group (ADG1); and children with associated disabilities linked to non-verbal cognitive disorders group (ADG2). Tests of functional auditory, communicative, and non-verbal cognitive skills were performed before cochlear implantation and at 12 and 24 months after cochlear implantation. Results: Functional auditory and communicative skills improved similarly in the three groups at 12 and 24 months after implantation. An increase in non-verbal cognitive scores was present in children in the ADG2 from baseline to 12 and 24 months (p<0.01), whereas scores remained stable in children in the TDG and ADG1. The increased functional auditory skills scores after cochlear implantation corresponded to an increase in non-verbal cognitive scores (p=0.032) in children in the ADG2. Interpretation: Children with associated disabilities, especially if linked to non-verbal cognitive disorders, benefitted from cochlear implantation. They improved their comprehension of acoustic information inferred from the environment, improving not only functional auditory skills but also non-verbal cognition.