Comparison of IQ between 4-16 year-old children after cochlear implantation in the left or right ear

Abstract

Purpose:
Hemispheric dominance is associated with more activity in one half of the body, which is very important in the presence of a relationship between the intelligence and brain lateralization. Delayed language development in the children undergoing cochlear implantation can have deleterious effects on their growth, academic performance, adaptation, and social interactions. Regarding this, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between the dominant hand and intelligence in the 4-16 year-old children undergoing cochlear implantation in the left or right ear.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted on the records of the patients aged within 4-16 years who had undergone cochlear implantation during 2008-2011. The subjects’ IQ was measured using Wechsler test by a neuroscience specialist. Then, the IQ of the children with the right cochlear implant was compared to that of those with left implant. The data were analyzed using the t-test, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square test in SPSS version 18.

Results:
According to the results, there was no significant difference between the children with right and left cochlear implants in terms of the mean IQ score (P=0.54). Furthermore, no significant association was observed between IQ score and right-handedness or left-handedness in the children undergoing cochlear implantation (P=0.17, P=0.8, respectively).

Conclusion:
As the findings indicated, there was no relationship between the dominant hand and IQ score in the children undergoing cochlear implantation.