Targeted Auditory Rehabilitation Employing Direct Audio Input in Children With Single-Sided Deafness Using a Cochlear...

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neuroscience
• Pediatric Rehabilitation

Background:

• Single-sided deafness (SSD) in children using cochlear implants (CI) presents unique rehabilitation challenges.
• Current rehabilitation guidelines for this population are lacking.
• Direct audio streaming offers a novel approach for isolated auditory training of the implanted ear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel auditory rehabilitation protocol for children with SSD using CI.
• To incorporate direct audio streaming for targeted auditory training.
• To evaluate the outcomes of this specialized protocol.

Main Methods:

• The protocol was implemented in 33 children with SSD (mean age 4.2 years) using CI.
• Intervention included 12 therapy sessions: isolated ear training via audio streaming, binaural training, and follow-up.
• Outcome measures: speech perception, cortical auditory evoked potentials, parental questionnaires, and data logging.

Main Results:

• 82% of children achieved word identification (67% open-set).
• 82% showed elicited cortical auditory evoked potentials to speech sounds.
• High CI usage (7.5 hours/day) and parental satisfaction (SSQ score 7.1) were reported.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocol effectively addresses the challenges of rehabilitating children with SSD using CI.
• The protocol demonstrates feasibility and efficacy, supporting its use as a clinical guideline.
• Direct audio streaming is a valuable tool in auditory rehabilitation for this population.