Cochlear Implants for Children -- Arguments for and Against

More and more parents are choosing cochlear implants for their deaf children, but the devices may not be for everyone, and some deaf people believe parents should wait until children are old enough to decide for themselves.

How the cochlear implant works: Sound is picked up through a tiny microphone contained in a removable headpiece that's worn near the ear. The sound is sent along a small cable to a processor, a mini-computer that converts the sound into digital signals. The processor is worn on a belt, or in some models, at ear level. Once processed, the digital signals go back to a transmitter. In some models, the transmitter and the microphone are in the same piece; in other models, the microphone is in a behind-the-ear piece that looks like a hearing aid. The transmitter, which is held by a magnet on the side of the head behind the ear, sends the coded signals via radio waves through the skin to the implant. The implant then delivers the signals to electrodes that have been inserted into the cochlea of the ear. The electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve, sending impulses to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.

Approximately one in a thousand American children are born deaf, and many doctors believe that children, even babies, tend to adjust to implants better than adults because their language learning areas of the brain are more adaptable. In the United States, more than 15,000 children have received cochlear implants. Dr. Bruce Gantz, who leads the cochlear implant program at the University of Iowa, recently told DesMoines Register Reporter Tony Leys: "We know that the earlier you implant a child who is profoundly deaf, the better they do. If you get the device in by 12 months, most of these kids are going to grow up with pretty normal speech and language."