The main thing most parents need to understand is that there are different degrees of hearing loss, and many deaf and hearing impaired children have some residual hearing. With the help of new and advanced technology, there is hope for those who still benefit from technology that can restore hearing. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. …show more content…
It is easy to say all deaf individuals can benefit from such technology but this not the case. In fact, Individuals who are Hard-of-Hearing or have partial hearing loss can be fitted with an implant, and can receive one fitted according to the degree of their deafness. Individuals who are completely deaf can still gain sound input that will restore hearing they never gained.
Once a child is implanted, it is required they go to post-implantation therapy and if the therapy is effective it can help young children to acquire speech, language, and social skills. Usually deaf children who receive these implants are between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age. Parents should realize early implantation is best for deaf and hard-of-hearing children because it provides them with sounds that are critical in the process of learning proper speech and language