Deaf Today: Early Ear Implants

February 27, 2003

Early Ear Implants

From: News 14 Carolina, NC - 27 Feb 200

A recent study with deaf children has found that those who receive cochlear implants at an early age have auditory and brain development that matches hearing children. Researchers said that children who received the hearing implants by three-and-a-half had the same brain wave response as children who could hear. After that age, the effect of the cochlear implant steadily declined. They say the nervous system develops pathways for hearing, and the early exposure to sound from the cochlear implant is critical for the development of the auditory system.