A survey of pediatric cochlear implant recipients as young adults

To identify the influence of pediatric cochlear implantation on long term communication modality, education, and income.

A telephone survey was conducted with 56 young adults who had received cochlear implants (CI) as children. The participants were, on average, 10.6 (SD = 64) when they received their CI and 21 (SD = 2.29) when they participated in this study. All of the participants used a unilateral CI at the time of the survey. Where applicable, survey results were compared to the general population of similar aged individuals in Ontario using chi-squared tests of proportionality.

Participants (49/56, 88%) indicated that they used their CI all waking hours and 75% (42/56) reported using spoken language as their primary mode of communication. They attended post-secondary school at higher rates than the general population (χ²(1) = 14.35, p < .001); a wide range of study areas were identified with a greater proportion involved in fine arts than the general population (χ²(1) = 25.50, p < .001). The rates of employment in this group were below general rates (χ²(1) = 21.87, p < .001). However, those who were employed reported salaries similar to their hearing peers.

The findings from this study suggest that young adults who received a unilateral CI in childhood typically continue to use their CIs to support spoken language. Their increased rates of post-secondary education are encouraging and they may be choosing unique areas of study. Longer term studies are required to further investigate lower rates of employment in this cohort.