Electronic Devices Approved For Use In Kids As Young As 12 Months
POSTED: 5:05 p.m. EDT May 17, 2004
CHICAGO -- New research suggests the earlier deaf children get cochlear implants, the better.
Cochlear implants are small electronic devices that are surgically implanted in the ear that allow profoundly deaf people to hear.
In one study, researchers from the Communication Consulting Services in Indianapolis analyzed data on 107 children between the ages of 1 and 3. They found that the children improved rapidly in hearing skills during the first year after receiving the implants. The best results were in the youngest kids.
Another study of youngsters who got implants between the ages of 2 and 4 showed 80 percent who got them within a year of becoming deaf developed normal oral language skills.
The small electronic devices are approved for use in children as young as 12 months, but some doctors have begun implanting them in even younger hearing-impaired or deaf infants.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/3315158/detail.html
POSTED: 5:05 p.m. EDT May 17, 2004
CHICAGO -- New research suggests the earlier deaf children get cochlear implants, the better.
Cochlear implants are small electronic devices that are surgically implanted in the ear that allow profoundly deaf people to hear.
In one study, researchers from the Communication Consulting Services in Indianapolis analyzed data on 107 children between the ages of 1 and 3. They found that the children improved rapidly in hearing skills during the first year after receiving the implants. The best results were in the youngest kids.
Another study of youngsters who got implants between the ages of 2 and 4 showed 80 percent who got them within a year of becoming deaf developed normal oral language skills.
The small electronic devices are approved for use in children as young as 12 months, but some doctors have begun implanting them in even younger hearing-impaired or deaf infants.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/3315158/detail.html