Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants provide those with profound, total and sometimes severe hearing losses with greater auditory access to speech than a hearing aid. The device consists of two parts: an internal mechanism with electrodes that are surgically implanted in the cochlea; and, an external device that contains a microphone, wire, magnet and a processor that is worn on the outside of the head or body. A cochlear implant works to bypass the damaged part of the ear and sends sound signals directly to the auditory nerve. An implant does not restore or create normal hearing, but it can give an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing access to sound, particularly the sounds of speech. By working closely with audiologists, speech-language pathologists and experienced educators, children with cochlear implants learn to maximize this access to sound to develop a full range of listening, language and speaking skills. There are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, both children and adults, who use cochlear implants.