Effect of Long-Term Cochlear Implant Use on Education and Occupation: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Aim and objective: The purpose of the current study was to summarize existing literature on the effect of long-term cochlear implant use on education and occupational outcomes. Method: The search for the articles began with finalizing appropriate keywords, putting those through various search engines to retrieve articles from 2011 to 2021. The retrieved articles were assessed in two stages: title and abstract screening, followed by a full-length article review. Ten studies were finalized at the end of the search process. Results: The review showed mixed results from the selected studies. Some research found that cochlear implant/s users did worse than their normal hearing peers. In contrast, a few other studies found that cochlear implant recipients performed equal to or better than their normal hearing peers or the general population. When compared to the general population, cochlear implant recipients have considerably lower occupational levels. Many factors could influence educational and occupational outcomes in long-term cochlear implant users. The factors may be the child's current hearing status, multiple disabilities, peer relationships, learning pressure, social skills, language development, self-efficiency, preferred communication mode, parents' hearing situation, parents’ education, and family expectations, teachers’ attitudes toward children, and the educational environment. Conclusion: Even though there are varied results regarding educational outcomes in long-term CI users, some studies showed good educational performance in CI recipients. However, there is a need for more studies for a better understanding of the factors influencing the educational and occupational abilities of children with a long-term cochlear implant.