With the introduction in Russia of programs for audiological screening of newborns, hearing loss in your child can be detected very early. And early detection and treatment of severe hearing loss is the first step towards a successful hearing rehabilitation. If the brain has never processed auditory information, it has lost such ability in a few years. Since the child's brain is much easier to adapt and learn, receiving new acoustic information for him, early cochlear implantation is a key factor in providing your child with the necessary information perceived by ear.
Various studies of domestic and foreign scientists show that children implanted before the age of two, parse words from the free speech of others better than children implanted after two years. Early deaf children, operated in the shortest possible time after the detection of hearing loss, demonstrated the same abilities in language learning as their hearing peers. Children implanted at an early age receive auditory information when their brains are most capable of adapting to sounds and contribute to the formation of speech. The development of hearing in them is comparable to that of normally hearing children. Speech develops, in practice, just like hearing. The minimum optimal age for cochlear implantation has been reduced in recent years in connection with the improvement of surgical techniques and the best results that can be achieved by children implanted at a very early age. Many patients are only a few months old.
For children who heard, and hearing lost later, the following rule applies:
The shorter the period of deafness, the better the effect can be expected from cochlear implantation.
The age at which cochlear implantation is performed is only one of the factors influencing the result. Active communication in the listening environment, effective speech processor tuning, motivation, rehabilitation, individual psychophysical and somatic features are also important factors that help to achieve the maximum effect in the child. It is extremely important to talk with your child, even if he or she may not fully understand what you are saying. Talking with the child is the best way to stimulate, encourage the development of speech. The expression of the face and the body language emphasize the meaning of the words and help your child understand you better.
