Cochlear Implants for Deaf Children With Early Developmental Impairment.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Infants with profound hearing loss are typically considered for cochlear implantation. Many insurance providers deny implantation to children with developmental impairments because they have limited potential to acquire verbal communication. We took advantage of differing insurance coverage restrictions to compare outcomes after cochlear implantation or continued hearing aid use.

Methods

Young children with deafness were identified prospectively from 2 different states, Texas and California, and followed longitudinally for an average of 2 years. Children in cohort 1 (n = 138) had normal cognition and adaptive behavior and underwent cochlear implantation. Children in cohorts 2 (n = 37) and 3 (n = 29) had low cognition and low adaptive behavior. Those

SUBMITTER: Oghalai JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9648123 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature