The cochlear implant is a great advancement which offers children with severe-to- profound hearing loss the chance

to hear clearly again. During its beginning stages, in 1957, the cochlear implant was a single-channel device that D ourno and !yries of "rance, #illiam $ouse of $ouse !ar %nstitute in &os 'ngeles, (lair )immons of )tanford *niversity, and +obin ,ichelson of the *niversity of -alifornia, )an "rancisco created and implanted in volunteers. %n the early 197.s, research teams wor/ed to create 01-channel, mulitelectrode cochlear implants. Then, in 1977, 2')' engineer 'dam 3issiah designed a cochlear implant that is widely used today. 's development of the cochlear implant, (la/e #ilson improved them to send electrodes se4uentially, improving sound clarity in 1991. (Bellis) The research done has had results that shows the cochlear implant is a better choice to hear over a typical hearing aid. ' cochlear implant is a ma or advancement for hearing aids. ' cochlear implant is a prosthetic replacement for the inner ear or cochlea. %t is surgically implanted into the s/ull behind a person5s ear. The cochlear implant stimulates nerves that hear sound with small wires touching the cochlea. -ochlear implants ta/e speech that signals and produces patterns of electrical impulses in the ear, instead of amplifying sound li/e typical hearing aids do. -ochlear implants are available to those who have severe to profound hearing loss. +esearch has shown that children who received a cochlear implant at a younger age better gain age-appropriate language s/ills than children who received one at an older age. -arolyn (rown, associate professor at the *niversity of %owa stated, 6#e have seen adults with severe hearing losses do well with cochlear implants--better than they did with hearing aids. 's the average performance levels with a cochlear implants increase, we have started implanting patients with more hearing.6 -ochlear implants are different from hearing aids by bypassing damaged cochlea hair cells and stimulate the auditory nerve, as ,argo )/inner-- director for the cochlear implant program at the #ashington *niversity )chool of ,edicine in )t. &ouis-- e7plained. )/inner then went on to e7plain that some speech sounds are never heard by children with sever-to-profound hearing loss because hearing aids can5t amplify sound enough or there are no more cochlea hair cells to transmit sound with hearing aid. The variety of results for children who have a cochlear implant is a topic emphasi8ed by 3aren %ler 3ir/, coordinator of the cochlear implant program at the %ndiana *niversity )chool of ,edicine. )he discussed that results for children ranges from greater speechreading ability or greater awareness of environmental sounds9 others are able to understand more speech thought ust listening. 6-ochlear implants offer the opportunity for many young deaf children to ac4uire age-appropriate language s/ills, and they seem to ac4uire listening s/ills with less effort than do children who have profound hearing

losses using hearing aids, 3ir/ said.6 -ochlear implants are scientific and technological advancements that will ta/e the place of hearing aids in improving hearing among children with severe-to-profound hearing loss. The great proven results of cochlear implants should be the first steps a parent ta/es for their child who is severely-to-profoundly deaf to give them a better life of hearing. (The Mind Hears)