A study shows that the self-concept levels of children with profound hearing loss who use cochlear implants (CIs) are at the same level as or higher than normal hearing children.  In the study, the children who use cochlear implants are also generally satisfied with their functioning in various domains e.g., in relation to speech perception and language comprehension.

Actually, the study found that in scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance and behavioral conduct domains the proportions of high perceived competence levels are even larger in the group of children with cochlear implants than those in the normal-hearing group.

About the study

The Dutch study assessed the self-concept of 53 children with cochlear implants (CI) and compared them with a group of normal hearing children. Correlations between the groups were made in different domains.

All the participants in the study had an unaided pure tone average of 90 dB or higher, averaged over the frequencies of 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz before cochlear implantation.

The study, “Self-concept of children and adolescents with cochlear implants”, was published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.

Sources: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology