Audiology and Speech Pathology - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 2 of 2
-
ItemPerformance of Toddlers, Children and Young Adults Using Unilateral or Bilateral Cochlear Implants on a Left versus Right Loudspeaker Identification Task(KARGER, 2011)Thirty-six participants with bilateral cochlear implants aged 1–19 years completed a left versus right loudspeaker identification task. The majority performed at chance in the unilateral condition (n = 24) and significantly above chance in the bilateral condition (n = 28). Cluster analysis identified three groups; one group performed above chance in both conditions and was older at second implant and older at testing, with longer delay between implants. There were no such differences between the group performing at chance in both conditions and the group which scored highly in the bilateral condition only, thus demonstrating a bilateral benefit. Unilateral, but not bilateral, scores were correlated with age at second and at first implant, time between implants, and age at testing. Bilateral benefit was negatively correlated with age at second implant, time between implants and age at testing. Co-linearity made it difficult to isolate the relationships with demographic factors, though age at testing may have had the most influence on unilateral scores. Spatial hearing skills with bilateral implants cannot be predicted for individuals.
-
ItemLonger-Term Functional Outcomes and Everyday Listening Performance for Young Children Through to Young Adults Using Bilateral Implants(LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2014)OBJECTIVES: First, to document a broad range of functional outcomes of bilateral implantation for young children through young adults at a postoperative point at which stable outcomes could be expected. Second, to evaluate the relationship between functional outcomes and age at bilateral implantation and time between implants. DESIGN: A study-specific questionnaire was administered to parents in an interview 3.5 years or more after sequential (n = 50) or simultaneous (n = 7) implants were received by their child. Median age at bilateral implantation was 4.1 years (range 0.7 to 19.8) and time between implants was 2.7 years (range 0.0 to 16.7). RESULTS: On the basis of parent report, 72% of the sequentially implanted children and young adults found it easy/only "a bit difficult" to adapt to the second implant, and were "happily wearing both implants together most of the time" by 6 months or before; 26% had not adapted, with both implants not worn most of the time or worn as a parental requirement. Seventy-two percent of sequentially implanted children and young adults had a positive attitude toward the second implant, including 9 whose early postoperative attitude was negative or neutral. The majority of children and young adults preferred bilateral implants (70%) and used the two full time (72%), while around half demonstrated similar performance with each implant alone. The proportion of nonusers or very minimal users of the second implant was just 9%. Eighty-eight percent of parents reported superior performance with bilateral versus a unilateral implant (n = 40), or that only bilateral implants were worn (n = 10) so performance could not be compared. The most commonly identified areas of superiority were localization, less need for repetition, and increased responsiveness. In balancing risks and costs with benefits, most parents (86%) considered the second implant worthwhile. Regarding the relationship between outcomes and demographic factors, the group achieving similar performance with each implant alone was younger at bilateral implantation and had less time between implants, and the group bilaterally implanted before 3.5 years of age (who also had less than 2 years between implants) had a higher proportion of positive outcomes on all functional outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results indicate primarily positive functional outcomes for children and young adults receiving bilateral implants at all ages, including when the delay between implants is long. The results are important for evidence-based preoperative counseling, which helps families to make informed decisions and develop appropriate expectations. The results are also important for the development of clinical management practices that support and encourage the minority of recipients who have difficulty adapting to bilateral implants or achieving full-time use.