Postural control, motor skills, and health-related quality of life in children with hearing impairment: a systematic review

Abstract

Children with hearing impairment have balance and motor deficits primarily due to concomitant damage to the vestibular structures. Psycho-intellectual and social developmental disorders, as well as elimination of social activities and participation may diminish health-related quality of life in these children. Despite the documentation, assessment of balance, motor deficits, and health-related quality of life of these children are not included in the educational program, unless obvious neurological or orthopedic disorders are diagnosed. The objective of this review was to systematically analyze the available information in the literatures regarding the postural control, motor skills, and health-related quality of life in children with hearing impairment. Searches of data sources PubMed, MEDLINE, CINHAL, EMBASE, SCOPUS, ISI of web science, Cochrane Library, and AMED database were performed from the earliest to 7 February 2011. Study eligibility criteria included non-interventional studies that addressed postural control, motor skills, and health-related quality of life in children with hearing impairment. For each eligible article, data were extracted using custom-designed forms by a single investigator. Collected data included study demographics, study design, study population, sample size, outcome measures, and results. A total of 11,872 articles were retrieved, and 17 articles were found to be eligible for inclusion. Of the 17 articles included, five articles analyzed health-related quality of life alone, two articles analyzed balance alone, two articles analyzed motor performance alone, two articles analyzed vestibular dysfunction alone, two articles included both vestibular dysfunction and balance, two articles included both motor performance and balance, and two articles investigated vestibular, balance as well as motor impairments. Heterogeneity of the studies prevented us from performing methodological quality assessment and meta-analysis. The results of this review suggest that children with hearing impairment exhibit suboptimal levels of function in postural control, motor skill performance, and health-related quality of life.

Quality of Life in Children with Hearing Impairment

“…While previous studies have evaluated the effect of hearing loss on quality of life in pediatric patients, 20,21 we believe that this is the first attempt to analytically differentiate between specific domains of quality of life measures. Previous work has been inconsistent in identifying quality of life deficits in children with hearing loss.…”

The effect of interventional proprioceptive training on static balance and gait in deaf children

“…Not being able to complete the phases of walking, deaf children exhibited trunk flexion during locomotion, Despite all this, assessment of balance, motor deficits, and health-related quality of life of these children is not included in the educational program for deaf children, unless obvious neurological or orthopedic disorders are diagnosed (Rajendran et al, 2012). Furthermore, regarding the evidence of deficiency in the balance ability of deaf children and the frequent attempts to improve their balance ability, studies on the effect of remedial balance programs with deaf children are lacking (Effgen, 1981) and the rate is even less on gait (Melo et al, 2012;Rajendran et al, 2012). Therefore, in this study a training program is used, which in addition to reducing the balance and gait problems may increase motivation in children to make maximum effort in taking part in training sessions.…”

Reliability of pediatric reach test in children with hearing impairment

“…The prevalence of moderate to profound hearing loss in children, including sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss is 1-6 of 1000, of which, 10% have hearing levels that fall in the profound range [6][7][8][9]. Moreover, it is estimated that about 440 million children worldwide have hearing loss above 85 decibels, and this increases to about 800 million when the threshold is reduced to 50 dB [10][11][12]. Apart from delays in oral development, delayed postural development is a common impairment in profoundly deaf children who are often associated with vestibular dysfunction [12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…Moreover, it is estimated that about 440 million children worldwide have hearing loss above 85 decibels, and this increases to about 800 million when the threshold is reduced to 50 dB [10][11][12]. Apart from delays in oral development, delayed postural development is a common impairment in profoundly deaf children who are often associated with vestibular dysfunction [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Development of postural control is an important pre-requisite for the performance of skilled movement.…”