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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Outcomes in Children who are Deaf-Blind with Cochlear Implants' Track: 3-Early Intervention and Beyond Audience: Primary Audience: Secondary Audience: Tertiary Audeince: Keyword(s): deaf-blind, cochlear implant, communication Learning Objectives: The learner will describe the variability in outcomes in children who are deaf-blind with cochlear implants Abstract: Rationale: Deaf-blind children are receiving cochlear implants, however little is known about outcomes in this complex group of children. Objective: To describe receptive and expressive language skills in children with dual sensory impairments with implants. Methods: A multi-site study prospectively enrolled deaf-blind children 6 months to 8 years pre-cochlear implantation. Children completed evaluations pre-implant and at 6 months intervals post-implant. Communication skills were evaluated using the Reynell-Zinkin, a developmental assessment for children with dual sensory impairments. Results: 75 children, 6 months to 5 years were enrolled from 22 states. The range of age of cochlear implantation was 7 months to 5 years, 2 months. 85% of children were implanted <3 years of age. Primary etiologies were CHARGE (29%), prematurity (19%), and congenital CMV (11%). 65% of children had physical challenges, 40% with cognitive challenges, 16% with behavior challenges, and 55% with complex health needs. 46% of children have had their implant for over 4 years. 51 children completed the Reynell-Zinkin with > two time points (pre- implant, 6 months post-implant). 36% of children developed some response to sound, 34% respond to simple words and short phrases, 16% could identify some words, 10% could follow simple directions, and 4% could understand complex directions with spatial and size concepts. For expressive language, 63% developed some sound production, 18% developed one word or expressive jargon, 7% developed some meaningful words, 6% developed simple sentences, and 6% developed complex sentences. Conclusions: Many children with dual sensory impairment with implants remain with pre-linguistic communication skills post-implant. Handouts: Handout is not Available
SPEAKER INFORMATION
PRESENTER(S): Susan Wiley - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center      Credentials: M.D., Developmental Pediatrician, Professor       Dr. Susan Wiley is a developmental pediatrician with expertise in children who are deaf/hard of hearing. She has many years of experience serving children with multiple disabilities.   AUTHOR(S): Kathleen Stremel - University of Kansas      Credentials: MA, CCC-SLP       BIO: Ms. Stremel is a speech-language pathologist with a long-standing career among children with dual sensory impairment. She is the principal investigator on a multi-site study on children who are deaf-blind with cochlear implants. Ms. Stremel has given workshops across the United States on intervention strategies of children who are deaf-blind.