Abstract

This study was designed to examine the decision-making process of cochlear implant audiologists who treat pediatric bilateral cochlear implant candidates. The researcher developed an electronic survey to identify the most important factors that audiologists consider when choosing between bilateral sequential or bilateral simultaneous cochlear implants for pediatric recipients. The results of the study showed that all the participants valued binaural hearing. Additionally, most of the audiologists primarily worked with sequentially implanted patients, and the most common interval between the first and second cochlear implant surgeries was less than one year. As a whole, the audiologists were more likely to recommend bilateral sequential cochlear implants to their future patients. This is not to say that they did not recognize the benefit of bilateral simultaneous cochlear implants, but they thought that similar outcomes could be achieved with short interval bilateral sequential cochlear implants. Additional research should be completed to more specifically identify the most common interval for sequential cochlear implants.

Advisor

Goldberg, Donald

Department

Communication Studies

Disciplines

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Keywords

binaural hearing, bilateral sequential, bilateral simultaneous, pediatric cochlear implants

Publication Date

2016

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2016 Frayne Poeting