Cochlear Implants - Early Implantation versus Later Implantation

Question: Cochlear Implants - Early Implantation versus Later Implantation

My baby has been diagnosed as being deaf. I have been told about cochlear implants. Should I implant my baby now or wait until my baby is older and can decide for himself?

Answer: You may want to consider implanting your baby now. The years from birth to age 3 are the critical years for a child to develop language. In addition, children who get cochlear implants earlier tend to develop better speech. Many studies have been published that demonstrate the benefits of early cochlear implantation. Here are just a few of them:

• Reading abilities after cochlear implantation: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2008 Oct;72(10):1471-8. Epub 2008 Aug 15. According to the abstract for this study, children who were implanted before age 3 1/2 had age-appropriate reading scores by the time they were 5 and 7 years old.
• Effects of early auditory experience on the spoken language of deaf children at age 3: Ear and Hearing. 2006 Jun;27(3):286-98. The abstract states, "Longer use of a cochlear implant in infancy and very early childhood dramatically affects the amount of spoken language exhibited by 3-yr-old, profoundly deaf children."

Why do children who are implanted younger, do so much better? It is because the brain is known to be more "plastic," at a younger age, meaning that the brain can learn more and more quickly.

Does this mean you cannot implant an older child who is born deaf? You can implant an older child who was born deaf, but the benefits from the implant may be less than if the child was implanted when younger. An older child who was born deaf may not be able to recognize speech with a cochlear implant, but an older child who was born deaf and does well with hearing aids before getting a cochlear implant, may do well with the cochlear implant.