Evaluation of visual attention/scanning performance in cochlear implanted pediatric cases by verbal and nonverbal cancellation test

Hearing loss is a sensory problem that primarily affects a person's speech/language development and communication skills. Treatment options for congenital hearing loss include hearing aids and cochlear implants. There are two main theories about how other senses are affected in the absence of sensory input. One is the "'deficit theory" and the other is the "compensation theory". The aim of this study was to evaluate the visual attention/scanning performance of a group of 6-11 year old children who received cochlear implant surgery before the critical period of language acquisition of four years (early period) and after four years (late period). Normal hearing peers aged 6-11 years formed the control group of this study, and the Turkish form of the Verbal and Non-Verbal Cancellation Test was used as the assessment tool. In the subcategories of regular and irregular letters, regular and irregular shapes, the three groups exhibited similar characteristics. However, the number of incorrectly marked targets was higher in the late cochlear implant group than in the early cochlear implant group. In the subcategories of regular and irregular letters, regular shapes and irregular shapes; scanning times were shorter in the control group than in the other groups. Furthermore, these times were found to be shorter in the early cochlear implant group than in the late implant group. Finally, screening times were found to decrease with increasing age. As a result of our study, it was concluded that there were differences in some subcategories between children with normal hearing and children with cochlear implants in the verbal and nonverbal cancelllation test, that the scanning times were related to age and were shorter in those with normal hearing, that the scanning time was shorter in children with early cochlear implants than in those with late implants, and that in addition to auditory rehabilitation, visual attention rehabilitation should also be given importance in children with cochlear implants.