Initial evaluation is done on an outpatient basis. It is noninvasive and usually takes several hours.
Our audiologists will administer a series of tests individually tailored to your child's condition. Common assessments include:
Behavioral audiometric evaluation, with and without hearing aids
Speech perception testing to determine the functional benefit of hearing aids
Immittance measurements to determine if the child has or may have a tendency toward middle ear fluid
Electrophysiologic testing to gather information about inner ear and auditory nerve function
Parents are asked to complete questionnaires to help determine functional hearing and hearing aid benefit.
Speech and language evaluation and educational plan assessments are ongoing components of the process involved in helping your child attain appropriate developmental levels.
After your child’s cochlear implant evaluation with audiology, you and your child will meet with one of our surgeons for a medical evaluation. During the appointment, we will do a detailed history and physical examination, and if needed, we may ask for imaging (either a CT scan and/or MRI) of the temporal bone will be often be performed to assess the anatomy of the inner ear. We will discuss with you which of your child's ear(s) make sense to implant. It is important to consider your child’s overall medical health and surgical risk, as this is a procedure performed under general anesthesia.