Comparison of Reading Speed and Comprehension in Cochlear Implanted Students and Healthy Students in the First Grade of Primary School

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors
Fereshteh Shamsian 1
Zohreh Farghadani-Chaharsughi 2
1 Mehr Speech Therapy Center, Isfahan, Iran
2 Exceptional Education Organization, Isfahan, Iran
10.22122/jrrs.v12i4.2684
Abstract
Introduction: Hearing is the most important sense for the natural development of speech and language; therefore, deaf individuals more commonly show signs of communication disabilities. Since reading skills depend on natural development of speech and language in childhood, reading impairments are prevalent in deaf people. Cochlear implantation, through providing auditory input and improving speech and language abilities, can improve reading prerequisites and reduce reading problems. This research aimed to compare reading speed and comprehension between cochlear implanted and healthy students in the first grade of primary school.Materials and Methods: The average of text reading speed and percentage of reading comprehension responses was calculated in 11 cochlear implanted children and compared with that of 11 healthy students through statistical methods.Results: The independent t-test showed significant differences between cochlear implanted and healthy students in terms of reading speed and percentage of reading comprehension responses (P < 0.001, α = 0.05).Conclusion: The results indicated that cochlear implanted children had problems in reading fluency and speed and comprehension of written texts since the first grade of elementary school in comparison with their healthy peers. These problems seem to be rooted in language deficits. However, many individual differences were observed among these children.
Keywords
Reading speed
Reading comprehension
Cochlear implant
Healthy student
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