This application is for funding to support the Seventh Symposium on Cochlear Implants in Children to be held at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, from June 4-7, 1998. This series of conferences, held every two years, focuses on bringing together clinicians and researchers involved in cochlear prosthesis for children. This symposium will focus on new data in eight different areas: Basic Science, Surgical Issues, Candidate Selection, Device Fitting and Optimization, Rehabilitation, Long-term Speech Perception Performance, Speech Production, Language and Education Results, and Psychology. Established speakers have been invited in each of these areas to provide current reviews and new perspectives. In addition, a Call-for-Papers format will allow others to present at a poster session. There will be no competing talks or events during the poster session. The field has now matured such that many children have been using multichannel cochlear implants for five years or more. It is only now that it is possible to examine the long term benefits provided to prelingually deafened children. Furthermore, enough time will have elapsed by the date of the meeting to examine the secondary effects provided by cochlear implantation. These include long term speech production, language, educational and psychological changes. In addition, by June 1998, initial clinical trials will be complete for children using the MedEI Combi 40+, the CI-24M and the Clarion cochlear implants. The applicants have years of experience with cochlear implants and have hosted several conferences. The University of Iowa Conference Center will assist in the administration of conference activities. There are no other meetings that focus on the clinical and research aspects of cochlear implants in children. The Asilomar meeting emphasizes engineering and physiology, does not focus on children, and does not include issues pertaining to candidate selection and surgery. The conference proceedings will be peer reviewed, and acceptable manuscripts will be published by the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology in a timely manner.
