Evaluation of Cochlear Implant Candidates

The Children’s Hearing Center cochlear implant team can determine if your child would benefit from a cochlear implant.

Cochlear implant patient evaluation

A cochlear implant candidate will undergo a thorough evaluation that involves several members of our cochlear implant team, including:

Cochlear implant coordinator

Our cochlear implant coordinator will:

  • Guide you through the candidacy evaluation process
  • Counsel you regarding device selection (we offer all three devices)
  • Provide cochlear implant programming and follow-up evaluations

Audiology

Our audiologists will:

  • Perform diagnostic hearing assessments to determine the nature and severity of the hearing loss
  • Provide extensive counseling regarding hearing loss and the communication and educational choices available to you and your child. Your family’s expectations, motivation and commitment to life with a cochlear implant will also be discussed and assessed. 
  • Provide hearing aid consultations, fittings and maintenance
  • Use questionnaires and standard tests to assess your child’s auditory abilities

Speech-language pathology

An initial evaluation will be performed to determine your child's performance levels in:

  • Understanding and producing language
  • Listening skills

Otolaryngology – head and neck surgery

All cochlear implant surgeries are performed by highly-skilled pediatric ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons. Our surgeons:

The ENT surgeon has a critical role in your child’s care. The surgeon will:

  • Evaluate the cause of your child's hearing loss
  • Evaluate for co-existing medical conditions
  • Determine whether your child is a surgical candidate for cochlear implantation
  • Determine if there are any special considerations that need to be addressed shortly before, during or shortly after surgery
  • Perform the surgery safely
  • Care for your child during the post-operative recovery phase
  • Address concerns, device problems, or infections over the long-term

Your child may also be examined by a psychologist and other medical professionals as necessary. Your family will receive comprehensive counseling to ensure that you understand all of the evaluations. Our cochlear implant team members will meet after your child’s evaluation to discuss whether your child could benefit from a cochlear implant. If the team believes there is a good chance that a cochlear implant would help your child, we will discuss with you the possible outcomes you can expect. If you and your child would like to proceed with the cochlear implant, we will schedule the surgery.