The purpose of this study was to compare the language skills of students with hearing aid users and cochlear implants to understand how these assistive devices/technologies influence language development and communication. The language skills play a crucial role for cognition, academic success, peer relationships, and overall well-being, particularly for students with hearing impairments. The research involves combining quantitative assessments with qualitative insights. This study involved 60 bilateral sensorineural hearing-impaired students whose age range between 6-15 years. Thirty hearing impaired students had moderately severe/severe hearing loss with hearing aid users and 30 hearing impaired students severe to profound hearing loss with cochlear implants, drawn from special schools, inclusive schools and specialized clinics. Speech & Language skills were assessed using standardized test i.e. Linguistic Profile Test (LPT), focusing on assessing an individual's linguistic skills, specifically their abilities in phonology, syntax, and semantics, to identify potential language disorders or deficits. The findings suggest that students with cochlear implants demonstrate higher proficiency in phonology, syntax and semantics compared to their hearing aid-using counterparts, potentially due to enhanced auditory input and speech perception. However, students using hearing aids showed comparable performance in phonology but lots of problem faced in syntax and semantic parts of language. The study highlights the importance of tailored language skills training and support services to meet the unique needs of both groups. These insights can guide educators, therapists, and policymakers in developing inclusive educational strategies and interventions to enhance the language development of students with hearing impairments. Keywords: Hearing aids, cochlear implants, hearing impairment, Language skills communication, etc.
Singh et al. (Mon,) studied this question.