Impact of retardation of non-verbal intelligence on language acquisition in children with hearing loss

Impact of retardation of nonverbal intelligence on language ability was investigated in hearing-impaired children. Subjects were 13 children with cochlear implant (CI) and 17 children wearing hearing aids (HA). Their communication skill, syntax and vocabulary were evaluated. Japanese Raven's Progressive Matrices test was used to examine non-verbal intellectual development of children. Subjects were divided into 2 groups depending on score of non-verbal intellectual development. There was no significant difference in vocabulary and syntax between two groups. Otherwise, communication skills were significantly different. Habilitation could work on an acquirement of vocabulary and syntax also in low nonverbal intelligence children, whereas communication skills were affected.