Application of RDLS scale to characterize oral language profiles in children using cochlear implant

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Analyze and characterize the oral language of a group of children participating in an auditory rehabilitation program, with at least five years of dispositive use, based on skills of receptive and expressive language measured trough the verbal comprehension RDLS scale.

Methods

Transversal and prospective study, evaluating 6 children with age between 8 and 11 years old, all with neurosensory bilateral severe deafness, average time of cochlear implant use of at least 5 years. The evaluation was performed using the RDLS scale, a Brazilian variant of the American scale known as Reynell Developmental Language Scales (RDLS). It consists of the comprehension scale, expression scale, in addition to sub-scales: structure, vocabulary and content.

Results

The naming skills were significantly better when compared to abilities involving pragmatic language functions, demonstrated by the sub-scales of content and structure, like the description of a figure and construction of longer sentences or syntactic organization compared to objects, words and figures identification.

Conclusion

There were no significant differences between the Comprehension and Expression scales; however, we noted that the performances in more complex structures, like sentences recognition, were inferior to their word recognition performances. These results imply possible implementation of educational and rehabilitation programs for children using cochlear implant.

Keywords
Hearing; Cochlear Implantation; Rehabilitation; Language; Deafness