Childhood Development After Cochlear Implantation
Supported by NIH grant DC004797

Principal Investigator:
John Niparko, M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
 

Subcontract to: House Ear Institute
Subcontract Principal Investigator: Laurie Eisenberg, Ph.D.

The purposes of this study are to: a) track development of spoken language and speech recognition in young children fitted with cochlear implants, b) monitor development of attention, problem solving, and social skills in these children; c) examine communication interactions between parent and implanted child; and d) survey parents' perspectives about their child's development. This study will establish predictors of the benefits of childhood cochlear implantation in a large sample of young children fitted with cochlear implants by systematically evaluating the predictive value of variables as they relate to outcomes of oral language acquisition, speech recognition skills, selective attention and problem-solving skills, behavioral and social development, parent-child interactions, and quality-of-life measures in children implanted in six U.S. implant centers. Conclusions from this study will enable a refined approach to implant candidacy when considering rehabilitative strategies designed to optimize the development of children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss.