A review of the outcomes of children with designated additional needs receiving cochlear implantation for severe to profound hearing loss

Objective To evaluate one year outcomes of children with additional needs receiving cochlear implantation at the Yorkshire Auditory Implant Service (YAIS) over a ten-year period. Methods Retrospective chart review yielded 270 children who received cochlear implants (CIs) at YAIS between 2007 and 2017; 49 children were classified as having additional needs. Audiological performance scales (Meaningful Auditory Information Scale (MAIS), Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS), Listening in Progress (LIP), Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), and Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale (SIR)) were analysed pre- and 12 months post-implantation. Comparison was made with children without additional needs. Results Children with additional needs demonstrated significantly lower pre-implantation audiological performance in MAIS, LIP, and MUSS (P <0.05). Despite showing improvement, children with additional needs consistently achieved lower scores in all metrics at one year (P < 0.05). Similarly, the rate of change was statistically significantly lower in children with additional needs. Conclusion All children were able to gain access to sound following CI. Improvements were seen in all outcome measures especially in the MAIS, CAP and LIP whereas limited improvement was seen in measures assessing speech production and improvement. The rate of improvement was statistically significantly lower in children with additional needs.