Pediatric cochlear implantation: the parents' perspective

Abstract

Objective: To analyze parental views on cochlear implantation, before and in the years following implantation, to determine whether the results from the intervention met their expectations.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study to assess parental perspectives of an unselected group of children with cochlear implantation.

Setting: Tertiary referral pediatric cochlear implant center in the United Kingdom.

Subjects: Forty-three parents of children with cochlear implantation.

Intervention: A specifically designed questionnaire was administered to assess preimplant expectations and observed changes and concerns at 1, 2, and 3 years following implantation. Three key domains were evaluated: (1) communication with others, (2) listening to speech without lipreading, and (3) the development of speech and language.

Results: Preoperative expectations were met or surpassed at each of the follow-up intervals. In the area of communication, 35 (81%) parents expected a definite improvement preoperatively, and 3 years following implantation, 42 (98%) actually saw such an improvement. The respective numbers in the area of listening to speech were 15 (35%) and 38 (88%), and for speech development, 37 (86%) and 37 (86%). Speech development was the major area of concern at all intervals.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the ability of cochlear implantation to meet or surpass parental expectations in 3 important outcome domains: communication, listening to speech, and the development of speech and language.