Abstract
We followed up with schools that enrolled children under 18 years of age who had undergone cochlear implantation between 1998 and 2016 while attending our hearing rehabilitation center during the same time period. There were 202 children who were of school age or older, with 144 attending regular schools. The rate of integration of our children with CIs was 71.3%. Except in the year 2015, when more than an average number of children were enrolled in regular kindergarten and nurseries, the rate of integration into regular schools over the last six years has been between 80% and 90%.
The main factors that account for the high rate of inclusion are newborn hearing screening, bilateral cochlear implantation, early detection of hearing loss caused by gene mutation and viral disease, preoperative auditory verbal/oral habilitation using hearing aids, surgery between 1 and 2 years of age, and ongoing interaction with the full-time speech-hearing-language therapist at the school for the deaf and at our center.
Having visited over 150 schools to follow how children with CIs have adapted to regular education, a discussion of the important aspects of school education that are needed to cater to these children follows.
