Objectives. To examine narrative writing in cochlear implant (CI) children and understand the factors associated with unfavorable outcomes.Materials and Methods. Forty-five CI children in grades 2–6 participated in this study. They received CIs at 4.1 ± 2.1 years of age and had used them for 6.5 ± 2.7 years. A story-writing test was conducted and scored on 4 subscales: Total Number of Words, Words per Sentence, Morphosyntax, and Semantics. Scores more than 1.5 SD lower than the mean of the normal-hearing normative sample were considered problematic. Language and speech skills were examined.Results. Significantly more implanted students were problematic on “Total Number of Words” (p<0.001), “Words per Sentence” (p=0.049), and “Semantics” (p<0.001). Poorer receptive language and auditory performance were independently associated with problematic “Total Number of Words” (R2=0.489) and “Semantics” (R2=0.213), respectively. “Semantics” problem was more common in lower graders (grades 2–4) than in higher graders (grades 5-6;p=0.016).Conclusion. Implanted children tend to write stories that are shorter, worse-organized, and without a plot, while formulating morphosyntactically correct sentences. Special attention is required on their auditory and language performances, which could lead to written language problems.
Factors associated with hearing loss in a normal-hearing guinea pig model of hybrid cochlear implants
