Cochlear Implant in Prelingual Children: Predicting the First-word Utterance from LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire

Abstract

Objective

The LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ) is a reliable tool for assessing children's auditory development. This study investigates the expected time for the first-word utterance in children with cochlear implant (CI) based on the LEAQ score.

Methods

An observational study was conducted on 94 children (50 males and 44 females) with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who underwent CI surgery at a tertiary center between January 2022 and November 2024. The study included children with prelingual hearing loss and satisfactory auditory responses post-surgery, while those with post-lingual onset or an intelligence quotient (IQ) below 85 were excluded. The LEAQ was applied every 3 months postoperatively. The total score was calculated from all ‘yes’ answers, and hearing age was determined until the child uttered their first word.

Results

Children were expected to utter their first word at an average LEAQ score of 11.3 ± 4.1 and an average hearing age of 0.8 ± 0.5 years. The average chronological age at first-word utterance was 4.0 ± 1.1 years, when the average implantation age was 3.3 ± 1.1 years. Significant positive correlations were found between the LEAQ score and the chronological and hearing ages at first-word utterance. The age of implantation did not significantly affect the LEAQ score.

Conclusion

The first-word development among CI children is predicted by the LEAQ score, influenced by the child's chronological age and duration of CI use. While the age at which the child underwent the implantation seemed to be a non-significant predictor.