If there is any medical device that has truly marked its existence and drastically improved the lives of so many profound hearing loss sufferers. Then it is undoubtedly a cochlear implant. For the longest time, people used to rely on the sole usage of hearing aids. Although hearing aids are still very much in use, cochlear implants work better when it comes to treating severe cases.
To move forward, cochlear implants have an immense positive impact. When it comes to handling and improving spoken language understanding and communication in children. As many might already know, most audiologists and surgeons advise parents to get their children to undergo cochlear implant surgery as early as possible. The reason is, that the younger the child is, the greater the probability for progress.
Cochlear Implants Impact Spoken Language in Children
Some of the most significant instances through which cochlear implants have helped children with their spoken language and sound foundations have been described below.
- Early Intervention: One of the primary factors contributing to the rise of cochlear implants among children is the concept of early intervention. As already mentioned in the aforementioned section, children who acquire implants at a young age. Typically prior to 18 months are more likely to generate spoken language skills relative to their hearing peers. The brain’s plasticity during early childhood enables it to adapt swiftly to the auditory input offered by the implant.
- Enhanced Auditory Input: As a matter of fact, cochlear implant is a product of advancement in the medical fields, and therefore, it is more accessible to a diversified range of sound foundations than traditional hearing aids. Implants comprise an internal electrode array affixed in the cochlea, this directly boosts the auditory nerve with electrical impulses. This boosted auditory input aids children perceive speech sounds with more clarity and accuracy.
- Speech Sound Discrimination: Cochlear implant helps children distinguish between various speech sound foundations – including consonants and vowels. This discrimination is essential for language development without which their overall growth will be hampered. But with this implant, children will have the advantage of producing sounds necessary for spoken language. In fact, over time, this even leads to speech intangibility.
Speech Production: Additionally benefiting a child’s capacity for speech production are cochlear implants. Children who have access to auditory feedback can keep track of and make necessary changes to their speech patterns. Resulting in speech that is clearer and easier to understand. In order to communicate with people effectively, this growth is especially crucial.
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