Do Cochlear Implants Limit Bicycle Riding in School-Age Children?

Cochlear implants (CIs) support auditory access and communication development for children who are deaf. CIs support social engagement but may also limit participation in daily activities. Specifically, participation in bicycling may be reduced because a CI cannot fit comfortably under a typical helmet. This project aimed to investigate how bicycling habits of children with CIs compare to same-age hearing peers. An online Qualtrics questionnaire was sent to parents of children with CIs and hearing children. Nineteen parents of eight- to twelve-year-old children with CIs and forty-five parents of hearing children completed the questionnaire. Our results indicated that children with CIs rode their bikes more often than hearing children but wore helmets less often. Results also indicated that children with CIs began biking without training wheels at an older age. Fifty-eight percent of parents believe their child’s hearing loss poses a significant safety risk with cycling. The long-term goal of this study is to bring awareness to the effects of hearing loss on the quality of life for children and reduce participation restrictions for children who are deaf.