Study of Parental Support Using the LENA Tool After Early Cochlear Implantation in Young Children with Profound Deafness

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are exploring how the language environment affects the development of children with profound congenital deafness who received cochlear implants early in life. This study focuses on children implanted before 18 months and under 24 months old at the start, aiming to analyze the effect of speech therapy parental support using data from the Language ENvironment Analysis LENA tool. The LENA tool objectively measures the childs home language environment by recording adult words, child vocalizations, conversation turns, and exposure to electronic media. Families participate by using the LENA device, which the child wears for 10 to 16 hours on two separate occasions spaced six months apart T1 and T2. Speech therapists analyze the recordings using specialized software and provide personalized feedback to parents after each recording period to help improve the childs language skills. The study does not listen to conversation content but uses numerical data to guide support. During the study, families make two home recordings of the childs language environment, and speech therapists review the data to assess parameters like conversation turns and receptive vocabulary. The primary outcomes include measuring conversation turns, receptive lexical level, and their correlation after six months. Secondary outcomes examine links between language environment factors and language development, acceptability of the LENA tool, parental support strategies, and family participation in therapy. The study continues until July 2026, with ongoing evaluation and support at regular intervals.

Analysis of Parental Support in Families Using the LENA After Early Cochlear Implantation