Psychological assessment of multi-channel cochlear implant patients

The psychological effects of profound or total acquired deafness can impair cognitive and interpersonal functioning. A cochlear implant has important psychological implications for individuals and usually has a major impact on the lives of implantees and their families. Psychological assessment and monitoring has formed an integral part of the multi-channel cochlear implant programme at Manchester and contributes to team decisions made about the suitability of patients for implant and subsequent progress of implantees. In this paper the major reasons for carrying out psychological assessment on prospective implantees and for monitoring psychological status of implantees are discussed. The main assessment techniques used at Manchester are described. Group findings from the initial assessments of the first 30 cochlear implant patients (including three deaf-blind subjects) are reported.