Communication development in children with autism spectrum disorder and cochlear implant

The thesis deals with the communication development in deaf children after cochlear implantation, which have at the same time diagnosed autism spectrum disorder. The theoretical part is divided into three chapters. First two chapters deal with specifics of hearing impairment, or rather autism spectrum disorder, and its effects on the overall development of the child with an emphasis on communication ability. There are briefly introduced the classification of hearing impairments and compensation aids related to the topic of the work - hearing aids and cochlear implants. There is also space devoted to the characteristics of particular autism spectrum disorders. The third chapter describes the most common communication systems or aids used by persons with hearing disabilities, more precisely with the autism spectrum disorder, and the possibility of communication of people with a combination of these two disabilities. The practical part of the thesis is devoted to qualitative research, which main objective was to find out how obtaining a cochlear implant may influence the development of communication of a deaf child with autism spectrum disorder. As part of the research, interviews with parents of these children were conducted. These interviews were supplemented by open-ended questionnaires addressed..