Is Visual Perception of Hearing-impaired Children Different from Healthy Children?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate visual perception of hearing-impaired children, and to determine their insufficiency in rehabilitation programs.

Methods: Forty children with hearing impairment aged 8-10 years were evaluated, and were compared with age matched 40 healthy children. Children having 71 dB and over sensorineural auditory impairment in both ears were included in this study. Figure-ground perception, position in space, and design copying tests were used to evaluate the visual perception of the subjects (Ayres Southern California Sensorial Integration tests).

Results: The mean hearing impairment level was 95.5 +/- 13.86 dB for the right ear, and 92.25 +/- 14.3 dB for the left. There were no significant differences by mean of age, height, and body weight between the groups (P > 0.05). All of the test scores of the control group were significantly higher than those of hearing-impaired children (P < 0.05). However there was no significant difference in the completion time of the design copying test between the groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Motivation insufficiency and learning difficulty may be developed in hearing-impaired children depending on the communication problems. The result of this study may bring light into literature about the development of new assessment techniques, and proper rehabilitation programmes for hearing-impaired children or adults in different age groups.