청각장애 영유아의 청각언어인지재활(KARI)을 이용한 조기 중재 효과 연구

Study of Early Intervention Effect Using Korean Auditory, Language, and Cognitive Rehabilitation for Infants with Hearing Loss

Purpose: The present study was aimed to identify the effect of early intervention using Korean Auditory, language, and cognitive Rehabilitation for Infants (KARI) program for the hearing-impaired infants. Methods: The KARI program composed with the evaluation materials, parent education and counseling materials, professional guidelines were applied to 12 infants from 1 to 24 months old once a week. The evaluation materials were Korean version of LittlEARS&#162;&#231; Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ-K), Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), Infant-Toddler Auditory & Communicative Behavioral Checklist (IT-ACBC), Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI), Korean MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (K MB CDI), and Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales: Developmental Profile (CSBS DP). Results: The scores of LEAQ-K, CAP, and IT-ACBC were enhanced from 23.27 to 27.55, 4.14 to 4.36, and 48.05 to 61.53. SELSI scores in receptive and expressive languages increased from 24.76 and 19.59 to 31.12 and 24.41. K MB CDI scores increased in expressive and receptive vocabularies and gesture and play from 10.00, 62.60 and 23.60 to 59.00, 111.00 and 47.80. CSBS DP scores increased from 37.50 to 46.71. After applying KARI, the early intervention effects were shown in scores of the evaluation materials with the statistical significances (p < 0.05) in LEAQ-K, IT-ACBC, SELSI, receptive vocabulary in K MB CDI, and CSBS DP checklist. Conclusion: The current results support that KARI is an effective rehabilitation tool for the early intervention to the hearing-impaired infants. When given the suitable rehabilitation at the early stage, the hearing-impaired infants can develop the early communication skills near to normal range.