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Pragmatic Skills in Children with Hearing Loss: Comparison Between Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids Users

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Abstract

Pragmatic language ability denotes the ability to use language in a social context. There is a lack of research that has compared children's pragmatic skills with hearing loss with those of hearing peers. This study questioned whether children with a cochlear implant would show better pragmatic skills than children with hearing aids. 52 children were included in three groups: cochlear implant (n = 16), hearing aid (n = 16), and normal hearing (n = 20). The participants' pragmatic skills were evaluated using the Persian version of the children's communication checklist. Of the 52 participants recruited, 22 (42.3%) were males, and 30 (57.7%) were females. The mean age of the CI, HA, and NH group participants was 75.19 ± 10.80, 72.19 ± 8.68, and 68.90 ± 6.78 months, respectively (P > 0.05). There was a significant difference between the mean scores of Speech Output and Syntax between the groups (CI, HA and NH) (P < 0.001). The hearing-impaired children show acceptable pragmatic skills in comparison with NH children. Specialists, such as teachers and clinicians, should be alert of the abilities and difficulties that the hearing-impaired children might be facing in the regular classroom.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the support and corporation of the staff of Niusha Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Mohammad Rezaei

  2. School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Vahid Rashedi

  3. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Vahidreza Borhaninejad

  4. Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Zohreh Sadat Nurian

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  1. Mohammad Rezaei
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  2. Vahid Rashedi
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  3. Vahidreza Borhaninejad
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  4. Zohreh Sadat Nurian
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Correspondence to Mohammad Rezaei.

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Rezaei, M., Rashedi, V., Borhaninejad, V. et al. Pragmatic Skills in Children with Hearing Loss: Comparison Between Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids Users. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 74, 434–438 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-021-02529-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-021-02529-5

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