September 14, 2016. Cochlear Implants 2016: Advances in Candidacy, Technology, and Outcomes, Factors That Drive the Expansion of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Candidacy, by Terry Zwolan and Donna Sorkin and published by ASHA’s Special Interest Group on Hearing and Hearing Disorders in Childhood, reviews recent progress made in cochlear implant technology and resultant changes in pediatric candidacy criteria and outcomes. Free open access is available until September 28, 2016.
LINK: https://perspectives.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2531454
KEY FINDINGS:
- Universal newborn hearing screening led to early identification of hearing loss and contributed to a push for younger age at time of CI surgery
- More residual has led to better CI outcomes and led the way for a change in candidacy allowing children with more residual hearing to receive CI
- Contemporary parent-centered therapy allows families to contribute to language learning and has contributed to improved outcomes
- Improvements in CI technology and surgical approaches were associated with better outcomes and further affected candidacy guidelines
- Expanded pediatric CI candidacy has not necessarily improved access. Pediatric utilization remains low in the US relative to many European countries.
American Cochlear Implant Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to improving access to cochlear implantation through research, advocacy and awareness. Its members are otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech pathologists, educators and others on cochlear implant teams as well as parent and consumer advocates. The mission of ACI Alliance is to expand access to cochlear implants through research, advocacy and awareness.
For more information, go to www.acialliance.org, Twitter@acialliance. Contact: Donna Sorkin dsorkin@aciallance.org, 703.534.6146 (office).
