Cochlear Implants in Children

Cochlear implants are hearing devices that compensate for damaged or non-functional parts of the inner ear. They are effective for children whose cochlear structures are damaged (from disease, congenital problems, trauma, or other causes) but whose auditory nerves remain intact. Although cochlear implants do not restore normal hearing, they can provide a sense of sound, give some auditory understanding of the environment, and help patients to understand speech.

While children with hearing problems suffer delays in speech and language development, early implantation with cochlear implants can provide significant advantages to such children. Evidence indicates that implantation at the age of 12 months, combined with intensive post-implantation therapy, clearly helps children develop necessary speech, language, and developmental skills. This advantage can not be overestimated in its long term effects, including significantly improved performance in school and social comfort with peers.

See Cochlear Implants for additional information on how cochlear implants work.

Other Useful Links to Learn More about Cochlear Implantation in Children:

Consensus Statement by the National Institutes of Health, 1995, on Cochlear Implantation in Adults and Children, at: http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/100/100_statement.htm
Tutorial Article on Cochlear Implants, from IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, September 1998:
http://www.utdallas.edu/~loizou/cimplants/tutorial/tutorial.htm
Product information on the Cochlear Implants currently available:
Clarion (Advanced Bionics), http://www.cochlearimplant.com and
Nucleus Cochlear Implant System, http://www.cochlear.com.

Contacting the Cochlear Implant Team at Columbia Presbyterian:

Individuals who wish to inquire about cochlear implants for their children should contact

Dr. Jaclyn Spitzer: phone/ relay (212) 305-4972, email - jbs50@columbia.edu or telefax (212) 305-2249

Referring physicians should contact any of the following Cochlear Implant Team members:

Dr. Jaclyn Spitzer (212) 305-4972

Dr. Jose Fayad (212) 305-8555

Dr. Ian Storper (212) 305-1906

A Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) is located at (212) 305-0029 and may be used for messages to the Cochlear Implant Team members. Staff in our group are familiar with using the relay operator.