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.

Many cochlear implant recipients note a gap between their ability to understand speech while practicing auditory training at home and their ability to understand speech in real life. Why is that? 

John Flanders Esq.
Special Education Lawyer 

ABCs of IEPs: Guidance for Parents of Kids with Cochlear Implants

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2022 was special for our family in a few ways.  It marked the ten-year anniversary of my daughter Lexi receiving her cochlear implants. By today’s standards, she is considered a late-implantee, receiving her first cochlear implant at 27 months of age, and her second implant a month after her third birthday.  My hope is that by sharing her story it gives hope to other families, especially those that feel they might be getting off to a late start.  

Student involvement at CI2022 was robust, diverse, and added a special element to the conference. Students participated in podium sessions, scientific posters, and sessions throughout the conference.  We were delighted to have more students, residents, and fellows in attendance this year than ever before at an ACI Alliance CI Conference—125!

Article in Audiology Today by Dr. Sarah Sydlowski

Cochlear implantation is commonly viewed as a treatment of last resort. Between 1984 and 2015, a total of 170,252 U.S. adult and pediatric patients underwent cochlear implantation, accounting for 240,056 devices (iData Research, 2016; Nassiri et al, 2022). These patients represent only a fraction of the more than eight million annual hearing aid users in the United States (iData Research, 2016; Nassiri et al, 2021). 

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 long-awaited proposed coverage expansion for cochlear implants was published on July 6. Confirmation of the coverage expansion proposed on July 6 is expected in the Fall. ACI Alliance is developing materials to inform our various constituencies about the expanded opportunities for Medicare beneficiaries who may benefit including the broad audiology community, hearing health publications, and the general public via major media outlets.

Ear & Hearing has published the first three papers by ACI Alliance Task Forces on CI candidacy and management. The Task Forces were assembled to provide clarity on candidacy determination for adults (bilateral deafness and SSD) and children (bilateral deafness and SSD).

We are excited to share that the first two papers (on pediatric topics) were recently endorsed by the American Academy of Audiology. This is an important outcome and means of broadening CI interest and knowledge among all audiologists.

A newly published paper covers Guidelines for Clinical Assessment and Management of Cochlear Implantation in Adults with Single-Sided Deafness. Read it here.

Click below to see all three papers and a four part webinar series on guidelines. 

Ensuring patients have realistic outcome expectations prior to cochlear implantation is a key component of the cochlear implant (CI) evaluation process.    However, the ability for clinicians to measure patients’ expectations and determine whether they are realistic was previously limited to generalized conversations and individual clinicians’ experiences.    The development of the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL)-Expectations instrument addresses this unmet clinical need.

QoL Expectations Instruments

Applicants were invited to submit research proposals in early 2022 with each proposal thoroughly considered in a blinded process by the ACI Alliance Research Committee chaired by Michael Hoa MD using a robust NIH-style review. 

Researchers at Washington University were awarded a grant to study “Adult Cochlear Implant Utilization in the United States: A Nationwide Analysis.” The study PIs are Kevin Zhan MD, Craig Buchman MD and Angela Mazul PhD, MPH.

We are delighted to announce the availability of a collection of nine papers presented at the ACI Alliance CI2021 Virtual Conference, Cochlear Implants in Children and Adults: It Takes a Village held virtually April 28th-May 1st, 2021. These provide a snapshot of what was presented at the meeting.  All of the articles were featured in the  September 2022 issue of Otology & Neurotology .

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