Development and standardization of an Arabic test battery and questionnaires for evaluation of cochlear implant performance in toddlers and children

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to develop and standardize new speech test battery and questionnaires to be used in the assessment of cochlear implant children. The ELFRA questionnaires were translated from German to Arabic and then re-translated from the Arabic back to German language by the help of expert panel. Translation of ELFRA-1 did not necessitate changes in the structure of ELFRA-1 questionnaire. However, some items were changed in ELFRA-2 questionnaire. The ELFRA questionnaires were answered by the parents of 82 infants and children. All infants in this group were 12 months, while children were 24 months old. All infants and children had passed the hearing screening test. Moreover, the ELFRA questionnaires were answered by the parents of 72 implanted children (12 months and 24 months hearing age with CI). The chronological age ranged from 20 to 86 months in ELFRA-1 and from 40 to 82 months in ELFRA-2. Comparison of scores of ELFRA questionnaires between normal hearing infants and cochlear implant children revealed statistically significant higher scores in children with CI regarding the expressive aspect of the speech, while normal hearing infants had higher scores in the receptive aspect.