Issues in the Use of Cochlear Implants with Prelingually Deaf Children

Approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration with deaf adults and prelingually deafened children above age two, the success of cochlear implants lacks supporting independent evaluative documentation. Allen et al (1993) compared hearing thresholds of profoundly deaf children with and without implants. Children with implants had an unaided threshold of 109.8 dB, which improved with the implant to 56.0 dB. Children without implants had an unaided threshold of 105.1 dB, which improved to 61.8 dB with conventional aids. Pure tone thresholds of 56.0 dB or 61.8 dB does not mean a child can process speech at that level. Lennenberg’s critical stage theory (1967) represents the theoretical rationale for early implanting of prelingually deaf children. The flaw in this rationale rests on the fact that prelingually deaf children would not be acquiring English as a second language, even if the implant gave them adequate perception of English. There are strong, legitimate reasons to question the experimental implantation of prelingually deaf children, just as there are factual reasons to support it that should be considered by parents along with the possible benefits.