Background:

Children with cochlear implants often continue to exhibit speech sound and intelligibility difficulties despite improved auditory access. Perceptual training and phonetic placement therapy are commonly used interventions; however, limited evidence exists comparing their relative effectiveness in improving speech intelligibility in this population.

Objective:

To find the effect of perceptual training and phonetic placement therapy in children with cochlear implant.

Methods:

A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 12 children with cochlear implants aged 6-8 years, with hearing ages ranging from 1-4 years. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling and randomly allocated into two intervention groups: Perceptual Training (n = 5) and Phonetic Placement Therapy (n = 6). Each participant received 12 hours of therapy over an 8-week period (three sessions per week, 30 minutes each). Speech outcomes were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention, and after a two-week retention period using the Test of Articulation and Phonology Urdu (TAPU), Percent Consonants Correct (PCC), and a 5-point speech intelligibility rating scale scored by blinded listeners. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used for data analysis.

Key words Cochlear implant, children, speech sound disorder, speech intelligibility, phonetic, hearing, perceptual training

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children with a chronological age of 6-8 years were selected for this study
• Children diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss using a cochlear implant
• Children with hearing ages of 2-3 years of both genders were part of this study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children with a chronological age of 6-8 years were selected for this study
• Children diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss using a cochlear implant
• Children with hearing ages of 2-3 years of both genders were part of this study