Auditory Conditioning System for Carver

The training protocol for Carver's auditory conditioning system is almost ready. We meet with Kat on December 7th to try out the actual auditory conditioning system for Carver. The lady (Kate) who wrote the protocol is also going to join us to see her experiment unfold. The Blind/Deaf with Cochlear Implants Project was kind enough to write an additional grant to provide funding that will allow the team to develop a tool that will help us get Carver "booth test ready". What does this mean? Carver is Blind/Deaf and has CP. These 3 things really make it difficult for Carver to respond to the standard hearing booth tests that typical deaf children use to determine the correct CI mappings. This auditory conditioning system will be set up on the computer to allow us to track Carver's progress with accuracy. The program will present Carver with different sounds (similar to the sounds that would be presented during a booth test). Carver will use switches to indicate whether he heard a sound or not. An interrupter switch will be used to exclude instances where Carver was "playing" with the switch vs responding to a sound when it is presented. The hope is that we can condition Carver, so that this system can be used to map his CI's in a booth test. If it is a success, it could be used to help other children like Carver. To date, all of Carver's CI mappings have been based on NRI responses - basically, the computer is telling the Audiologist how to map Carver based on how the nerves respond to sounds sent through the CI from the computer. While this gets us in the ball park, it isn't the best possible mapping for Carver. A lot of people have been involved to help make this a success. We're excited to be a part of the experiment, and are very hopeful that this will be a success. Wish us luck!