Epilogue: Conclusions and implications for research and practice

Abstract

The primary purpose of the epilogue article is to synthesize the key findings from the Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss (OCHL) study by presenting a set of 10 major conclusions. The conclusion statements provide a concise summary of the main results related to children's auditory and language outcomes and factors identified as moderators of these outcomes. The second section of this article summarizes the primary clinical implications that follow from the OCHL study in relation to three questions: (1) Can we afford to be complacent about the current outcomes of children who are hard of hearing? (2) Which malleable factors can be addressed to promote success through implementation of best practices? and (3) Which nonmalleable factors are consequential and what are their implications for practice? The authors end with some future research directions for the OCHL project.