The analysis of the cochlear implant process based on the perspective of the parents of children with hearing loss and specialists

The present study was aimed to describe the cochlear implant (CI) process based on the views of parents of the children with hearing loss and specialists. Based on the study objective, the research was conducted with the qualitative methodology and designed as a holistic single case study. The participants included four parents with CI candidate children, four parents with children with CIs, five otorhinolaryngology specialists, four audiologists, and two hearing-impaired teachers. Semi-structured interviews and a research diary were employed to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed with the inductive analysis. The findings indicated that parents experienced emotional difficulties during the process after they learned the hearing loss diagnosis, and their children required emotional support and acquisition of knowledge and various skills in the adaptation to the intervention process. It was concluded that the parents acquired information about CI implementation for their children from the specialist and other parents with children with CIs, and decided to implement the CI since they desired their children to reach the language development levels of their hearing peers. It was determined that the parents expected the language skills of their children to develop rapidly after the CI surgery; however, the parents may experience concerns during the initial years after the surgery since the development was not as expected. It was concluded in the present study that the CI implementation was conducted with the cooperation of the parents and the experts. It was revealed that differences may be experienced in informing and guiding parents in this process and these differences may affect the quality of the hearing loss intervention process in children.