Original Article

The Effect of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy Program on Sensory Organization of Deaf Children With Bilateral Vestibular Dysfunction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of vestibular rehabilitation therapy program on the sensory organization of deaf children with bilateral vestibular dysfunction. This cross-sectional and analytic study was conducted on 24 students between the age of 7 and 12 years (6 girls and 18 boys) with the profound sensorineural hearing loss (PTA>90 dB). They were assessed through the balance subtest in Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOTMP). For children which the total score of the balance subtest was 3 standard deviation lower than their peers with typical development, vestibular function testing was completed pre-intervention. Posturography Sensory organization testing (SOT) was completed pre- and post-intervention with SPS (Synapsys, Marseille, France). Children with bilateral vestibular impairment were randomly assigned to either the exercise or control group. Exercise intervention consisted of compensatory training, emphasizing enhancement of visual and somatosensory function, and balance training. The exercise group entered in vestibular rehabilitation therapy program for 8 weeks. The children initially participating in the control group were provided the exercise intervention following the post-test. Based on the results there was significant difference in condition 5 and 6, areas of limits of stability (LOS), vestibular ratio and global score in posturography at the end of the intervention, but there was no significant difference in the control group in posturography (P<0.05). The results indicated that testing of vestibular, and postural control function, as well as intervention for deficiencies identified, should be included in deaf children rehabilitation program.

Kaga K, Shinjo Y, Jin Y, Takegoshi H. Vestibular failure in children with congenital deafness. Int J Audiol 2008;47:590-9.

Mickle KJ, Munro BJ, Steele JR. Gender and age affect balance performance in primary school-aged children. J Sci Med Sport 2011; 14:243-8.

Suarez H, Angeli S, Suarez A, Rosales B, Carrera X, Alonso R. Balance sensory organization in children with profound hearing loss and cochlear implants. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2007; 71:629-37.

O'Reilly R, Grindle C, Zwicky EF, Morlet T. Development of the vestibular system and balance function: differential diagnosis in the pediatric population. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2011; 44:251-71.

Martin W, Jelsma J, Rogers C. Motor proficiency and dynamic visual acuity in children with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2012; 76:1520-5.

Shumway Cook A, Wollacott MH, eds. Motor Control-Translating Research into Practice. 4th ed. 2012, China:Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2012.

Rine RM, Wiener-Vacher S. Evaluation and treatment ofvestibular dysfunction in children. NeuroRehabilitation 2013; 32:507-18.

Rine RM, Braswell J, Fisher D, Joyce K, Kalar K, Shaffer M. Improvement of motor development and postural control following intervention in children with sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular impairment. Int JPediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2004; 68:1141-8.

Medeiros IR, Bittar RS, Pedalini ME, Lorenzi MC, KiiMA, Formigoni LG. Evaluation of the treatment ofvestibular disorders in children with computerizeddynamic posturography: preliminary results. J Pediatr2003; 79:337-42.

Braswell J, Rine RM. Preliminary evidence of improved gaze stability following exercise in two children with vestibular hypofunction. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2006; 70:1967-73.

Ebrahimi, A-A., et al., Balance Performance of Deaf Children With and Without Cochlear Implants. Actamedica Iranica, 2016. 54(11).

Bernard-Demanze L, Dumitrescu M, Jimeno P, Borel L, Lacour M. Age-related changes in posture control are differentially affected by postural and cognitive task complexity. Curr Aging Sci 2009; 2:135-49.

Tee L, Chee N. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy for the dizzy patient. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2005; 34:289-94.

Rine RM. Growing evidence for balance and vestibular problems in children. Audiol Med 2009; 7:138-42.

Cushing SL, Chia R, James AL, Papsin BC, Gordon KA. A test of static and dynamic balance function in childrenwith cochlear implants: the vestibular olympics. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008; 134:34-8.

Han BI, Song HS, Kim JS. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy: review of indications, mechanisms, and key exercises. J Clin Neurol 2011; 7:184-96.

Rajendran V, Roy FG, Jeevanantham D. Effect of exercise intervention on vestibular related impairments in hearingimpaired children. Alexandria J Med 2013; 49:7-12.

Lewis S, Higham L, Cherry DB. Development of an exercise program to improve the static and dynamic balance of profoundly hearing-impaired children. Am Ann Deaf 1985; 130:278-84.

Rajendran V, Roy FG, Jeevanantham D. A preliminary randomized controlled study on the effectiveness of vestibular-specific neuromuscular training in children with hearing impairment. Clin Rehabil 2013; 27:459-67.

Shah J, Rao K, Malawade M, Khatri S. Effect of motor control program in improving gross motor function and postural control in children with sensorineural hearing loss-A pilot study. Pediatr Therapeut 2013;3:2161-665

Effgen SK. Effect of an exercise program on the staticbalance of deaf children. Phys Ther 1981; 61:873-7.

Files
IssueVol 55, No 11 (2017) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
Keywords
Bilateral vestibular dysfunction Deaf children Hearing loss Sensory organization test Posturograph Vestibular rehabilitation therapy

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Ebrahimi AA, Jamshidi AA, Movallali G, Rahgozar M, Haghgoo HA. The Effect of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy Program on Sensory Organization of Deaf Children With Bilateral Vestibular Dysfunction. Acta Med Iran. 2018;55(11):683-689.