Examining the effect of early cochlear implantation age on speech sound disorder severity and speech intelligibility level

The perception and production of speech sounds depends on the hearing system. It is known that articulation and phonological skills are insufficient in individuals with hearing loss. As a result, speech intelligibility is also impaired. Characteristics of articulation and phonological disorder; hearing loss is affected by the age of onset, the type and degree of hearing loss. Children with severe and profound hearing loss receive the maximum auditory benefit from modern hearing technology, such as a cochlear implant. The aim of this study was to examine effect of the first cochlear implantation period on severity of speech sound disorders and speech intelligibility in children with prelingual hearing loss. Secondarily, it is aimed to compare articulation, phonological and intelligibility skills of peers with normal hearing skills and children with cochlear implants. The study included 45 children aged 5-7 years (32 M, 13 F) with cochlear implantation age between 12-18 months, 18-24 months and 24-30 months and 15 children aged 5-7 years with normal hearing abilities (7 M, 8 K) is included. Speech sound skills were evaluated by using the "Turkish Articulation and Phonology Test (SST)" three subtests, and the assessment of speech intelligibility was made using the "Intelligibility In-context Scale-Turkish Version". As a result of the study, children with early cochlear implantation age had significantly higher articulation-phonological skills and speech intelligibility than children with cochlear implantation at a later age. In addition, it was found that even children with cochlear implantation at the earliest stage performed significantly lower in speech sound skills and speech intelligibility compared to their peers with normal hearing abilities.