Rehabilitation of the Auditory Space for Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users : a Feasibility Study

The rehabilitation protocol with visual-auditory feedback is based on 8 sessions, over a period of 1 month, with 2 sessions per week. Each session lasts 45 minutes. During a session, the participant has to localize a sound around him, at hand. For this, he has to direct his head (which acts as a pointer) to the place where he seems to get the sound. Then, he validates his answer using the joystick placed in his hand. Regardless of the answer given (exact or incorrect), the subject will always have a visual-auditory feedback

The rehabilitation protocol with visual feedback is based on 8 sessions, over a period of 1 month, with 2 sessions per week. Each session lasts 45 minutes. During a session, the participant has to localize a sound around him, at hand. For this, he has to direct his head (which acts as a pointer) to the place where he seems to get the sound. Then, he validates his answer using the joystick placed in his hand. Regardless of the answer given (exact or incorrect), the subject will only have a visual feedback.

"Data from spatial sound perception will be recorded in three dimensional space (azimuth, elevation, and depth). First, the pointing error will be computed separately for azimuth, elevation, and depth, in terms of constant error (absolute and signed) and variable error. Then, these separate errors will be combined into a cumulative error 3d-D, hence summarizing all three space dimensions, and taking into account absolute and variable error in one measure. This lasts 10 minutes and the result is expressed by the 3d-D value"

This test assesses the intelligibility threshold defined as the noise level (in decibels) for which the subject can repeat 50% of the words heard (in dichotic listening), resulting in an Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT) value. This test lasts 10 minutes.

15 items questionnaire (each answer to questions is quoted between 0 and 10) resulting in a global SSQ 15 score. It takes 10 minutes to fill the questionnaire.