2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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3/06/2012  |   11:00 AM - 12:00 PM   |  Trends in Early Intervention Advisement Practices Relative to Cochlear Implantation   |  Frisco   |  2

Trends in Early Intervention Advisement Practices Relative to Cochlear Implantation

An essential component of early intervention includes the timely provision of information to parents regarding their options for treatment of their child’s profound hearing loss, including receipt of information regarding cochlear implants. This information should include details regarding candidacy, outcomes, and benefits of early implantation. CI clinics often report that many families begin the CI evaluation process after the child’s second birthday, even though the child’s hearing loss was identified soon after birth. This is supported by implant registration data, which indicates that in 2010, the average age at implant for children who received a cochlear implant prior to their third birthday was 19 months (Cochlear Americas, U.S. estimates). In 2003, we conducted a survey of 148 parents of young children who had received cochlear implants to ask them about their experiences with the early intervention process. This survey revealed that most parents did not receive information about cochlear implants from early intervention professionals but instead received such information from a variety of other sources. A 2011 study replicates and updates the information received from the 2003 survey and examines recent experiences of 320 parents with the Early Intervention system in their community including early intervention services received, and socio-economic status and education levels of the family. The analysis provides comparisons to the 2003 study and also relative to parental income, education, and ethnicity. Study findings can be used to improve the advisement process so that families may have full access to the information they need to make timely decisions on options and services needed to maximize cochlear implant outcomes. The effect of family income, education and ethnicity on the age of the child at time of cochlear implantation will be discussed relative to advisement strategies.

  • At the end of the session, participants will be able to examine and evaluate the impact of early intervention advisement practices in their home community on families’ access to cochlear implantation for young deaf children.

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Presenters/Authors

Donna Sorkin (), Cochlear Americas, dsorkin@cochlear.com;
Donna Sorkin, M.A. is Vice President, Consumer Affairs at Cochlear Americas. She leads a range of activities at Cochlear aimed at the broad life needs of the cochlear implant community including educational options for children, accessibility, and insurance reimbursement. Ms. Sorkin conducts periodic surveys of parents to better understand the needs of children with hearing loss at school as well as parental experiences with early intervention programs. Ms. Sorkin was executive director of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People and she served as executive director of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She has served on a number of federal, corporate and university boards including the U.S. Access Board, the National Institute on Deafness (NIH) Advisory Board, and Gallaudet University. She has written and spoken extensively on educational and access issues for children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing.


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