PP102 - Challenges of and Strategies for Getting Children to Wear Their Cochlear Implants

Abstract:
The trajectory of children’s speech and language development is directly related to the hours per day that they wear their hearing aids and cochlear implants. This study is a cross-sectional survey of parents of children with cochlear implants on their knowledge of, experiences with, and strategies for getting their children to comply with wearing their devices. We hypothesize that the challenges of and strategies for compliance are related to the age at implantation. A handout for counseling parents based on the results of this survey will be available for poster attendees.

Summary:
Background Information:
The trajectory of children’s speech and language development is directly related to the hours per day that they wear their hearing aids and cochlear implants. Sometimes children do not like to wear their implants, and parents are challenged to get their offspring to comply. The purpose of this study is to survey parents of children with cochlear implants on their knowledge of, experiences with, and strategies for getting their children to comply with wearing their devices. We hypothesize that the challenges of and strategies for compliance are related to the age at implantation.

Type Study – The study is a cross-sectional study.

Methods
A Qualtrics survey was developed to assess the parents’ knowledge of, experiences with, and attitudes toward getting their children to wear cochlear implants. A link to the Qualtrics survey will be posted in parent support groups on social media networking sites. Descriptive statistics will be computed and reported for all variables. Some categories may be collapsed for multiple variables due to small cell count sizes. Initially, univariate models may be created for each outcome and explanatory variables. Significant and near-significant variables (p < 0.10) from univariate models will be used in constructing the multivariate model. For all multivariate models, a backwards selection process will be used to find the most parsimonious multivariate model. All statistical tests assumed a significance level of 0.05, and SAS 9.4 was used for all computations.

Conclusion
The results of this study will inform counseling strategies to be used with parents who have difficulty getting their children to wear their cochlear implants. This project will be completed by February 3, 2025.