<< BACK TO POSTERS

ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Spatial Hearing Abilities in Toddlers with Bilateral Cochlear Implants' Track: 2 - Audiological Services Keyword(s): Bilateral Cochlear Implants, Spatial Hearing Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will have knowledge of a new research method used to investigate the development of spatial hearing in toddlers with and without hearing loss. At the end of the session, participants will have comprehension of the performance of toddlers with bilateral cochlear implants on a localization task in comparison to their normal hearing peers. Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of young children receiving bilateral cochlear implants (BiCI). Implantation in young children provides an opportunity to study the emergence of spatial hearing in individuals with hearing loss. Previous findings from our lab suggest that spatial hearing abilities in children with BiCIs, such as sound localization, are better when in the bilateral listening mode compared with the unilateral mode. However, children with BiCIs ages 5-14 still perform significantly worse than their normal hearing (NH) peers. In the current study, we investigated whether earlier bilateral activation might lead to development of spatial hearing abilities more similar to what is seen in normal hearing toddlers. The study was conducted using a novel “Reaching for Sound” (RFS) method that enabled us to measure discrimination and localization. In this method children were trained to reach for sounding objects hidden behind a curtain. Ten BiCI toddlers, ages 27-42 months, were tested and their data were compared to those from a NH chronologically age matched group. White noise bursts were presented from one of 9 loudspeakers positioned at 15-degree increments. The results indicated that toddlers who use BiCIs could discriminate left versus right for locations as small as ±15? when listening in a bilateral mode, but performed significantly worse in the unilateral mode. When localizing, the 15 NH toddlers showed highly developed abilities, with root mean square (RMS) errors ranging from 2.89? to 27.5?, while errors for the BiCI group ranged from 32.02? to 52.39?. Results show that the RFS method has provide to be a successful paradigm to test young children. While NH toddlers performed with low error rates on the sound localization task, it appears that this skill is still developing in toddlers with BiCIs. Work supported by NIH-NIDCD grant R01 DC 008365 Presentation: This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online. Handouts: Handout is not Available
PRESENTER(S) / AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION
Erica Ehlers - POC,Primary Presenter,Author University of Wisconsin-Madison      Credentials: B.S. Communicative Disorders      Other Affiliations: Waisman Center and Department of Communicative Disorders, Madison, WI       I received my B.S. in Communicative Disorders (2010) from University of Wisconsin Madison. Currently, I am in my second year of graduate school working on a combined Au.D/Ph.D with a focus in Hearing Science. My research interests include how children with cochlear implants compare to children with normal hearing in various auditory environments, specifically focusing on sound localization skills.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist. Christi Hess - Author University of Wisconsin-Madison      Credentials: M.S. CCC-SLP      Other Affiliations: Waisman Center and Department of Communicative Disorders, Madison, WI       Christ Hess is a Research Assistant working on her Ph.D in Communicative Disorders at University of Wisconsin-Madison.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist. Ruth Litovsky - Author University of Wisconsin-Madison      Credentials: Ph.D      Other Affiliations: Waisman Center and Department of Communicative Disorders, Madison, WI       Dr. Ruth Litovsky is the director of the Binaural Hearing and Speech Lab located at the Waisman Center in Madison, WI.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.