Empathy Development in Preschoolers With/Without Hearing Loss and Its Associations with Social-Emotional Functioning.

Empathy plays a crucial role in children's social-emotional development. There is an increasing trend in recent studies to recognize empathy as a multi-dimensional construct, consisting of three distinct hierarchical levels: emotion contagion, attention to others' feelings and prosocial behaviors (Hoffman, Motiv Emot, 14(2), 151-172, 1990). The present study is amongst the first to use a longitudinal approach to examine the development trajectories of the distinct empathic levels, based on a sample of Chinese preschoolers aged 2 to 6 years, half of the sample being deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH).

Neuroanatomical anomalies due to a defect in the FGF3 gene, associated with the Labyrinthine Aplasia, Microtia and Microdontia syndrome: insights from the placement of auditory brainstem implants in two siblings.

Here, we describe two congenitally deaf male siblings with the same compound heterozygotic, likely pathogenic mutations in the FGF3 gene, associated with the labyrinthine aplasia, microtia and microdontia (LAMM) syndrome. Both children had bilateral cochleovestibular aplasia, precluding cochlear implantation. The elder brother received an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) with very limited auditory responses.

Changes in participatory and societal outcomes during the waiting period for cochlear implantation - an observational study.

Introduction: Various factors, including an aging population and expanding eligibility criteria, may increase the demand for cochlear implants (CIs), potentially resulting in longer waiting times. In most Dutch CI centers, the time between referral and surgery exceeds 6 months. Clinical experience suggests that during the waiting period for cochlear implantation, hearing and communication difficulties increase.