Listening is a vehicle for us to share information on cochlear implants and hearing loss with hearing healthcare providers, adult CI recipients (and those exploring CI), parents and family members interested in CI, educators who work with deaf and hard of hearing children, and anyone wanting to learn more about cochlear implants. 

ACI Alliance is a not-for-profit organization created with the purpose of eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation by sponsoring research, driving heightened awareness and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants for people of all ages. There is a wealth of information on our website. 

Our work at ACI Alliance follows our mission encompassing research, advocacy, and awareness. Accordingly, Listening covers all three.

We encourage you to share sign-up details for this free e-newsletter with patients, family members, colleagues or anyone who may be interested.

Registration is now open. Don't miss the early bird prices. Book your hotel and flights now. Cochlear Implantation: Facilitating the Patient Journey is the conference theme. The Niparko Memorial Lecture will be given by Dr. Ruth Litovsky, “Successful Pathways to Outcomes in Bilateral Cochlear Implantation.” Drs. Jill B. Firszt and Andrej Kral are confirmed as keynote speakers.

We are excited to publish a listing of our major 2023 Organizational Accomplishments. Our membership, Board of Directors, and hard-working staff were critical to our work and our successes. We wish to thank and acknowledge support from our industry partners who have steadfastly backed our work to advance CI awareness, research, and advocacy. We are proud that you have chosen to be part of our organization

Cochlear implants provide meaningful access to sound for those with more severe hearing loss. Even the most advanced hearing aids may not overcome the hearing difficulties associated with moderate to profound hearing loss. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged areas of the cochlea and may provide improved hearing abilities for speech understanding and the perception of music and environmental sounds.
Use the hashtag #InternationalCochlearImplantDay in your social media.

Discover learning at no cost with Hearing First. For pediatric audiologists, it's simply not an option to fall behind on the latest research, best practices, and evidence-based protocols. Audiology-focused courses from Hearing First are designed to meet an intermediate to advanced learning level and provide takeaways that will elevate the standards of care for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
 
Courses are led by world-renowned pediatric hearing healthcare experts who will provide cutting-edge information pertaining to the comprehensive scope of practice of a pediatric audiologist. Topics range from genetics and embryological development to family-centered care and social-emotional aspects of hearing loss. Learners can take advantage of self-study and live online courses to choose what best fits their schedule. Learners can earn CEUs from AAA, ASHA, and AG Bell.

Helping Cochlear Implant Recipients Improve Their Relationship with Music 

One of the most common questions people have about getting a cochlear implant is what listening to music will be like.
Thanks to The Hearing Review for this informative article and shoutout to ACI Alliance resources!

Speaker Two (April 24, 12 Noon)
Karl R. White PhD 
Director, National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management
Emma Eccles Jones Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education
Professor of Psychology
Utah State University
Title of Presentation
What’s Past is Prologue: Engaging Families in Continuing to Improve EHDI Programs

This two-part online series will emphasize the key role of parents in fostering language in children who are deaf and hearing. With the implementation of newborn hearing screening and accepted practice that state early intervention agencies complete diagnosis and initiate services (including fitting amplification) for children with congenital hearing loss by six months of age, we now recognize the “power of parents.” The role of professionals has shifted from professionals working with the child to supporting the entire family unit in utilizing the language of the home and heart—whether that language is English, Spanish, ASL or another. These two sessions will explore how to fully support parents in language learning for their children with hearing loss.

One of the most common concerns reported by adults who are deaf or hard of hearing is communication in noisy environments, with restaurants frequently topping people’s lists of places where they struggle. Restaurants are often loud, with background noise such as dishes clattering, food preparation from the kitchen, the hustle of people being seated and leaving, and often mood music.

Click the resource below to read tips on overcoming loud restaurant noise levels. 

Take advantage of our career center to explore job openings posted by other members in the cochlear implant field. As a member, you can post a job for free at your organization. Job seekers do not need to be ACI Alliance members.

The Earworm podcast features conversations with a wide array of professionals, family members, advocates, and scientists whose experiences, ideas, curiosities, and activities are committed to ensuring that all children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can thrive. The Earworm podcast is available for streaming anywhere you listen to podcasts, as well as on www.earwormpodcast.org.

Earworm has just released a new dialogue on hearing health. This new episode is entitled, How will we communicate with our child? Supporting families as they face key questions when their child is diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing. This episode features a conversation with Amy Spencer who is the coordinator of early intervention and family services at the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Amy will be talking about the critical decisions families of deaf or hard of hearing children face in the weeks and months after diagnosis and how health care providers, early interventionists, audiologists and others can provide meaningful support.

The Institute for Cochlear Implant Training (ICIT) has just released the MSTB-3 Test Suite at cochlearimplanttraining.com.  Also check out spring course offerings including the CI Team Efficiency Course (TEC) and the Auditory Verbal Practice Course (AVC), which are currently enrolling.  The CI TEC course (February-May, 2024) is a comprehensive and practical course designed to assist cochlear implant teams (audiologists, CI surgeons, and administrators) in improving outcomes, the patient experience, and team satisfaction.  The AVC course (March-May, 2024) is designed for aspiring and advanced speech-language pathologists, teachers of the deaf, and early interventionists to improve listening and spoken language (LSL) outcomes for children and adults following cochlear implantation.

World Hearing Day | March 3

Changing mindsets:
Let’s make ear and hearing care a reality for all!

World Hearing Day 2024 will focus on overcoming the challenges posed by societal misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets through awareness-raising and information-sharing, targeted at the public and health care providers. 

Thanks to the efforts of our Washington State Champions, including Dr. Daniel Zeitler, Washington State Medicaid is now covering cochlear implants for adults as well as children. At this time, only 12 states do not provide coverage although our advocates continue to work to expand coverage across the country. For more information, visit our Medicaid Coverage Page. 

Our efforts to encourage and expand newborn screening for CMV continues as Washington, Indiana, New Hampshire, Florida, Michigan, and Massachusetts have legislation pending. Along with our partners, ACI Alliance advocates will work on ensuring these bills are passed. For more information on CMV, visit our website. 

Denmark has made a major shift away from a Bi-Bi approach and has embraced cochlear implantation for severe and profound HL along with early intervention with AV therapy, followed by supported inclusion in general education. This paper documents their excellent outcomes in language, cognitive and social-emotional development during the early school years. This recently published paper in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology is based on a 3 year longitudinal study.

School-age children undergoing cochlear implantation are needed for a study of listening-related fatigue. Participation is 100% virtual, requires the child and caregiver complete several 10-minute surveys before and after implantation, and includes compensation (Amazon gift cards). 

Landmark Study Maps Hearing Loss Across the U.S.

The first study to map the prevalence of bilateral hearing loss in the United States by state and county finds that rates of hearing loss are higher among men, non-Hispanic Whites, and residents of rural areas. Bilateral hearing loss is hearing loss in both ears. The study was published in the January 2024 issue of The Lancet Regional Health.

To view state and county rates of hearing loss, go to www.soundcheckmap.org

Millions of people have tinnitus, a bothersome condition that causes ringing or other noises in their ears. There is no known cure. But a new treatment is reducing symptoms in many patients.