A new Stanford/Packard Children’s study examined the benefits of
cochlear implants – sometimes called “bionic ears” – for deaf
children with developmental delays. The implants feed sound from
a microphone outside the head directly to the auditory nerve,
but typically require intensive speech and language therapy to
be helpful for the recipient. In the past, many doctors have
opted not to use cochlear implants in developmentally delayed
infants and toddlers – who are expected to later meet criteria
for mental retardation – because they have doubted whether the
implants would benefit these children. The new study
(subscription required) shows this approach may be wrong. The
researchers, led by John Oghalai, MD, studied the few
developmentally delayed deaf kids who do get cochlear implants.
They found that these children get implants an average of 11
months later than typically developing children, meaning that
they miss 11 months of potentially valuable sensory input at a
time when brain development should be r