Academic achievements and classroom performance in Mandarin-speaking prelingually deafened school children with cochlear implants

Abstract Objectives To document academic achievements and classroom performance in 35 Mandarin-speaking, congenital/pre-lingual, deafened children who used cochlear implants (CIs) for 5–11 years. The possible associated factors were also analyzed. Study design Cross-sectional case series. Methods Standardized Chinese literacy ability and mathematics tests were administered to evaluate the academic achievement of these children. Raw scores derived from both literacy ability and mathematics tests were compared with normative data from children with normal hearing (NH). A modified Mandarin edition of the Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) and a Regular School Adjustment Scale (RSAS) for students with hearing impairments filled out by regular classroom teachers were used to assess the children's classroom performances. Results The mean standard T -scores for Chinese literacy ability and mathematics ability were 48.6 and 50.3 (NORM = 50 ± 10), respectively. A total of 85.7% of children with CIs scored within or above the normal range of their age-matched hearing peers in Chinese literacy ability, and 82.9% were within normal ranges in mathematics ability. The SIFTER results showed that 45.7% failure was noted on the communication subscale, and the RSAS also indicated 40% of CI students to have communication problems. The academic subscale scores on the SIFTER were associated with the children's Chinese literacy abilities. The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) of the Wechsler IQ test IV was related to the children's mathematics abilities. Conclusions The academic achievements of Mandarin-speaking children who receive CIs from a young age and are integrated into mainstream elementary school system appear to fall within the normal range of their age-matched hearing counterparts after 5–11 years of use. This study strongly suggests the need for future ongoing support for these children in communication field.