Speech Development After Cochlear Implantation in Children From Bilingual Homes

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure to a second language in bilingual families influences the spoken German skills after cochlear implantation. A further question was how many children with migration background are bilingual. Study Design: Retrospective case review. Setting: Tertiary referral center; cochlear implant program. Patients: Ninety-three profoundly hearing-impaired children; 52 of these children reside in bilingual and 41 in monolingual homes. Intervention: Cochlear implantation before the age of 6 years, speech and language skills assessments. Main Outcome Measures: Standard speech perception and receptive and expressive language measures. Data on used primary and secondary languages were obtained by questionnaire. Results: Children growing up in bilingual homes performed worse than children from monolingual homes in all performed speech tests. Almost all children with bilingual parents indicated German as their main language. In some cases, the second language is used actively, but in most children, the use is limited to single words and expressions. However, some children from bilingual homes achieve high skill level in German language and, furthermore, develop competency in second spoken language. Conclusion: Advanced language skills including the learning of a second spoken language are possible for children with cochlear implant living in bilingual homes, but that is the exception rather than the rule. It seems that other factors, such as spoken German language skills of the parents, integration of the family, and compliance with the rehabilitation program, play an important role. Therefore, a special support for children with cochlear implants from bilingual homes is needed.