Evaluating training courses for parents of children with cochlear implants

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in effective commun ication between parents and children with cochlear implants when the parent s attended a modified Hanen training course(Watson 1995). The study demonst rates that the course led to improvement in the effectiveness of the parent -child interaction, as rated by naive independent observers. The Erber rati ng scale (Erber et al. 1995) was implemented as a tool for evaluating chang es before and after the courses. Using video samples taken at the above int ervals, the ratings showed a significant increase in effective communicatio n at the end of the courses.