Balance assessment in hearing-impaired children

According to the scientific reports the postural stability is inseparably associated with hearing organ's correct functioning. The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of disorders occurring in balance reactions in this group of children with profound hearing loss compared to their healthy peers. The study worked with a total of 228 children, including 65 who are deaf (DCH) and 163 subjects without any hearing deficits (CON) in the control group. Stabilometric measurements were performed with the use of a force distribution platform. The results indicate statistically significant differences in terms of one parameter (the total path length) recorded in the test with the eyes open and a whole range of parameters recorded when the subjects had their eyes closed (the width, height, and area of the ellipse, the total path length, and the horizontal and vertical sway). The study results showed better values of the static balance parameters in deaf children as compared to their peers without hearing disorders and the differences were particularly evident in the test with the subject's eyes closed. The results suggest significantly better processing of sensory stimuli in postural reactions particularly from propioception, and to a lesser extent, from the vision system observed in the subjects as compared to their peers in the control group. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.