Is There Any Association Between Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development in Cochlear-Implanted Children?

OBJECTIVE: Different studies on normal children and children with a sensory or intellectual disability indicate a strong correlation between the child’s vocabulary domain and his cognitive abilities. Based on this, the main focus of the present study was to investigate the cognitive performance of cochlear-implanted children after a cognition-based language intervention program. METHODS: In this experimental study, 60 cochlear-implanted children were selected and randomly allocated into case and control groups. The control group received auditory verbal therapy (AVT), while the intervention group was trained by using both AVT and a language intervention protocol that was recently developed by the authors. Finally, the participants' communication abilities were assessed through the adapted version of the language subtest of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development – Third Edition (BSID 3). Five months later, the cognitive subtest was carried out. The data gathered were then analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The study was performed on 2 groups of 20- to 24-month-old cochlear implant users, and our results confirmed a high correlation between language acquisition and cognitive development (r = 0.76). In addition, the cognitive and language performance of the participants who were trained by the new and specifically designed language intervention protocol as well as AVT was significantly higher than that of the control group (P ≤ .001). CONCLUSION: The new and specifically designed language intervention protocol that was mainly established based on cognitive factors such as attention and semantic memory enhancement in cochlear-implanted children improved not only their language acquisition but also their cognitive development. KEYWORDS: Cochlear implant, language intervention, cognitive development, vocabulary, children