Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.31299/hrri.62.1.2
Timing matters: the role of temporal and organisational aspects of habilitation in receptive language development in children with cochlear implants
Luka Bonetti
orcid.org/0000-0003-1379-5239
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences Department of Hearing Impairments, Borongajska cesta 83 f, Zagreb
*
Ivana Šimić
orcid.org/0009-0007-0249-8331
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Borongajska cesta 83 f, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Hrastinski
orcid.org/0000-0003-2307-5104
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences Department of Hearing Impairments, Borongajska cesta 83 f, Zagreb
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Early language development in children with cochlear implants is, among other factors, strongly associated with audiological factors, particularly age at implantation and post-implantation hearing ability. In healthcare systems where these audiological prerequisites are highly standardised, less is known about the extent to which the organisation and timing of habilitation further contribute to variability in language outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between habilitation-related organisational characteristics, family resources, and the level of receptive language in children with cochlear implants, while controlling for a context in which audiological conditions are largely ensured. The study included 35 children with cochlear implants (aged 6.0 to 15.9 years), who received implants before the age of four years and did not exhibit additional developmental difficulties. Receptive language was assessed using the Croatian version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III-HR) and the Test for Reception of Grammar (TROG-2:HR). Predictors included the intensity of early and later habilitation, parental education, household income, household size, unilateral or bilateral hearing, and the presence of interdisciplinary team-based care. Spearman correlations, robust linear regression, and quantile regression were applied. The results showed that the intensity of early habilitation, as well as a derived habilitation timing index (the difference between early and later habilitation intensity) were positively associated with receptive language outcomes. In multivariate models, the habilitation timing index emerged as the only statistically significant predictor, while later increases in habilitation intensity did not demonstrate a compensatory effect. Family resources and organisational factors were not independently associated with receptive language outcomes. These findings highlight the critical importance of early and intensive habilitation and support early intervention models focused on optimal early intervention timing, with the aim of improving long-term language outcomes in children with cochlear implants.
Ključne riječi
cochlear implants; receptive language; early intervention; habilitation; services organisation; children
Hrčak ID:
348359
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *