Welcome
Dear Colleague,
"Children achieving their full potential" is the theme of the 13th Symposium on Cochlear Implants in Children. Our goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary learning to develop the professional knowledge necessary for deaf children to achieve their full communication, academic and social potential. Working together, we can help these children to become independent adult members of society alongside their hearing peers.
In the early days of pediatric cochlear implantation, only children thought to be "ideal" candidates were eligible to receive an implant. Today, this technology is the accepted treatment for deafness. As a consequence, more families are seeking implants for children with complicating conditions. Medical complicating conditions may impact cognition and thus the rate and extent of progress in the development of post implant skills. Alternatively, complicating factors may be related to characteristics of the family. For example, in the United States children with cochlear implants who come from non-English speaking families or those with lower socioeconomic status often face challenges in obtaining necessary therapy, educational programs and medical/audiological services.
Understanding the range of cochlear implant outcomes in children in general, as well as in those with complicating conditions is of great importance. Innovative approaches to implant programming, aural habilitation and education designed to meet the varying needs of implanted children and their families are of interest to our program committee.
In addition to oral presentations, CI 2011 will offer increased opportunities for interactive poster presentations. Poster presentation awards will be presented for excellence in multiple categories. CI 2011 also will provide special sessions to promote interaction between experts and course participants, including the opportunity to discuss challenging cases.
CI 2011 is the first major cochlear implant symposium to be held in the beautiful city of Chicago. The Children's Memorial Hospital, an affiliate of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Northwestern University Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery are the hosting this conference. The symposium will be held at the Sheraton Towers which is conveniently located on the Chicago River near Lake Michigan.
We envision a meeting that will both improve your daily practice and inspire you to expand your knowledge and expertise to enable more deaf children to achieve their full potential.
We look forward to seeing you in Chicago.
Nancy M. Young, M.D., FACS
CI2011 Director and Program Committee Chair
Head, Section of Otology & Neurotology, Medical Director, Pediatric Cochlear Implant & Audiology Programs,
Children's Memorial Hospital
Associate Professor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Karen Iler Kirk, Ph.D.
CI2011 Co-Director and Program Committee Co-Chair
Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Iowa
