Study backs cochlear implant use in children:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
More evidence that the younger that deaf and hearing-impaired children receive cochlear implants, the better they perform in speech recognition tests later in life, has come from a 101-patient US study published in the January issue of Otology and Neurotology. The study, performed at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, showed that the biggest difference was between seven-year-old children who had had their implant for four or more years and children aged five to seven who had had theirs for only three years. The FDA has approved cochlear implants for use in children as young as 12 months and clinical trials in children aged 12-24 months are underway.