Addressing the Needs of Adolescents Who Use Cochlear Implants
By Laurie Hanin
Executive Director
Center for Hearing and Communication
Laurie Hanin, Executive DirectorNew research was reported on in the ASHA Leader in December, 2010 that may shed light on understanding the wide range of performances seen among children who are deaf and use cochlear implants.
It has always been evident that speech, language, and other cognitive outcomes vary greatly among children following cochlear implantation. Previous research and our own experience at the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) have taught us that a shorter period of deafness prior to implantation, intensive and skilled auditory-oral rehabilitation, and greater residual hearing before implantation are known to be related to improved speech and language outcomes, but these factors do not guarantee that the children will develop without any delays.
Preliminary results from this line of research suggests that some children with cochlear implants may show deficits in areas such as attention, working memory, processing speed and other executive functions, and that these deficits may play a vital role in the variability of results seen. When these deficits are identified, clinicians, educators, and parents must have specific information about the deficit areas in order to provide the appropriate supports and interventions which are essential to maximizing each child’s potential. Improvements in these areas can be achieved given appropriate intervention which lasts throughout the school-age years.
As the cognitive demands placed on children increase exponentially as they progress through their school years, so too must the therapeutic procedures grow and adapt to meet these changing needs. At CHC, the auditory-oral therapy program has always incorporated work within these specific areas. Now, however, more formal ways of evaluating the various aspects of executive function have been developed as a result of this research and will be incorporated into our program. This will allow CHC to even more effectively address each child’s individual needs, further developing the framework necessary to enable our children to succeed in the classroom. In order to effect these changes, however, it is essential that children with hearing loss and cochlear implants continue to receive intervention services throughout adolescence.
Please click here to read the complete study in ASHA Leader. If you have questions on this or any other topic that relates to your child’s hearing health needs, please call me at (917) 305-7760 or Nancy Geller, Director of the Shelley and Steven Einhorn Communication Center at (917) 305-7836.
