Pediatric cochlear implantation - The parents' perspective

Objective: To analyze parental views on cochlear implantation, before and i n the years following implantation, to determine whether the results from t he intervention met their expectations. Design: Prospective longitudinal study to assess parental perspectives of a n 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 ass ess preimplant expectations and observed changes and concerns at 1, 2, and 3 years following implantation. Three key domains were evaluated: (1) commu nication with others, (2) listening to speech without lipreading, and (3) t he development of speech and Language. Results: Preoperative expectations were met or surpassed at each of the fol low-up intervals. In the area of communication, 35 (81%) parents expected a definite improvement preoperatively, and 3 years following implantation, 4 2 (98%) actually saw such an improvement. The respective numbers in the are a of listening to speech were 15 (35%) and 38 (88%), and for speech develop ment, 37 (86%) and:37 (86%). Speech development was the major area of conce rn at all intervals. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the ability of cochlear implantation to meet or surpass parental expectations in 3 important outcome domains: comm unication, listening to speech, and the development of speech and language.