Source: http://www.news.wisc.edu/19941?mid=513566 by David Tenenbaum
An ongoing study of 45 deaf children who had two cochlear implants finds that their language skills are within the normal range. The study, providing the first good evidence that a second implant helps with understanding speech, was conducted at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and presented at a regional meeting of experts on cochlear implants held Oct. 21-22.
“It’s a huge success to see these children making such strides in language acquisition,” says Christi Hess, a Ph.D. student in communicative disorders. “Many, after as little as one or two years with the implant, have language scores within the normal range, especially those who got the implant before age two.”
Thousands of children get cochlear implants each year, and the surgery is done at an ever-younger age, says Ruth Litovsky, professor of communicative disorders and surgery/otolaryngology.