Assessment of the Development of Social Cognition in a Deaf Child With a Cochlear Implant : A Study Using a Standardized Questionnaire

NCT ID: NCT06914531

Last Updated: 2025-04-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 6 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2026-03-03

Brief Summary

This study investigates the adaptability of a questionnaire assessing social cognition in children with cochlear implants aged 3 to 6 years, implanted before the age of 15 months. The primary objective is to evaluate the comprehensibility and relevance of the questionnaire in this population, considering their specific communication modes and cognitive profiles. By analysing response variability, communication abilities, and social interaction patterns, the study aims to refine the tool for accurate assessment. The findings will contribute to improving evaluation methods for social cognition in young deaf children.

Detailed Description

• Scientific Justification: Social cognition, particularly Theory of Mind, plays a crucial role in children's social interactions and emotional development. However, deaf children, especially those with cochlear implants, may experience delays or differences in Theory of Mind development due to limited access to spoken language and incidental learning. Assessing their social cognitive abilities requires tailored tools that accommodate their unique communication modes. This study aims to evaluate the adaptability and validity of a questionnaire designed to assess social cognition in deaf children aged 3 to 6 with cochlear implants. By analyzing communication strategies, response variability, and social interaction patterns, the research seeks to refine assessment methods, ensuring they accurately capture these children's cognitive and social competencies.

• The content of the responses: it is essential to measure this because it enables us to assess the quality of the children's reflections. Response content provides valuable insights into how deaf children with cochlear implants before 15 months perceive and interpret social interactions. This will allow us to test whether deaf children develop similar or different strategies for understanding the social world. Rich and relevant content would indicate good integration of social skills, which would be an indicator of success for the study.
• Understanding their own answers: it is important to check that the children understand what they are answering. This criterion is important because it ensures that the answers given are not the result of chance or a desirability bias, but of genuine reflection and a real understanding of social concepts. A child's understanding of his or her own responses is indicative of cognitive maturity and the ability to apply knowledge in social contexts, which is a central objective of the study.
• The degree of response, the completeness and accuracy of the answers given, is a key indicator of children's ability to understand and engage in cognitive tasks. This criterion measures the commitment and mental effort invested by the child in the exercise, as well as his or her ability to formulate detailed and relevant answers. A high level of response would be a positive sign of successful cochlear implantation in terms of cognitive and social development, while a low level of response could suggest difficulties in processing social information or expressing thoughts coherently.

Conditions

Deaf Children; Cochlear Implant

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_ONLY
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

deaf child with a cochlear implant

This study focuses on children aged 3 to 6 years with congenital severe-to-profound deafness who received a cochlear implant before 15 months of age. The research aims to assess the adaptability of a standardized questionnaire evaluating social cognition in this population. Their communication abilities, response variability, and social interaction patterns are analyzed to refine assessment tools.

Questionnaire comprehension test

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will complete a standardized questionnaire assessing social cognition, adapted for cochlear-implanted children aged 3 to 6 years. The assessment includes the Item Scale and the Test of Emotions Comprehension adapted and mixed together. The questionnaire evaluates children's ability to understand emotions, social interactions, and cognitive perspective-taking. Each child will complete the test in a single session lasting approximately 20 minutes, under the supervision of a trained investigator, with an orthophonist and a parent present

Interventions

Questionnaire comprehension test

Participants will complete a standardized questionnaire assessing social cognition, adapted for cochlear-implanted children aged 3 to 6 years. The assessment includes the Item Scale and the Test of Emotions Comprehension adapted and mixed together. The questionnaire evaluates children's ability to understand emotions, social interactions, and cognitive perspective-taking. Each child will complete the test in a single session lasting approximately 20 minutes, under the supervision of a trained investigator, with an orthophonist and a parent present

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Children aged 3 to 6 years old, who received a cochlear implant before the age of 15 months, who use their implant(s) and have a supportive family environment,
• Children with at least one cochlear implant undergoing speech therapy and are being monitored by the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Unit at Toulouse University Hospital,
• Children who are able to communicate: through speech, gestures, or French Sign Language,
• Children and their family whose mother tongue is French, - Social security coverage.

Exclusion Criteria

• Cognitive or psychological impairment preventing the child from communicating,
• Other sensory or motor deficits that may interfere with pointing,
• Unstable psychiatric illness,
• Child whose parents both benefit from a legal protection measure.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 3 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 6 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University Hospital, Toulouse

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

CHU Toulouse - Pierre Paul Riquet

Toulouse, , France

Countries

France

Central Contacts

Marie-Noelle Calmels

Role: CONTACT

calmels.mn@chu-toulouse.fr

+33 (0)5 61 77 90 09

Facility Contacts

Marie-Noelle Calmels

Role: primary

calmels.mn@chu-toulouse.fr

+33 (0)5 61 77 90 09 ext. 33

References

Fulcher A, Purcell AA, Baker E, Munro N. Listen up: children with early identified hearing loss achieve age-appropriate speech/language outcomes by 3 years-of-age. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2012 Dec;76(12):1785-94. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.09.001. Epub 2012 Oct 17.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23084781 (View on PubMed)

De Giacomo A, Craig F, D'Elia A, Giagnotti F, Matera E, Quaranta N. Children with cochlear implants: cognitive skills, adaptive behaviors, social and emotional skills. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2013 Dec;77(12):1975-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2013.09.015.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24466572 (View on PubMed)

Allen MC, Nikolopoulos TP, O'Donoghue GM. Speech intelligibility in children after cochlear implantation. Am J Otol. 1998 Nov;19(6):742-6.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 9831147 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

ID-RCB : 2025-A00479-40

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

RC31/25/0073

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id