Cochlear Implant Program

Our cochlear implant team includes pediatric ENT doctors, audiologists and speech-language pathologists. As soon as hearing loss is identified, this team can evaluate your child to determine if they’re a good candidate for the procedure.

Your child may benefit if they:

• have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears
• are at least 12 months old
• have limited success with hearing aids

The evaluation may take multiple appointments over an extended period of time to ensure your child can benefit from a cochlear implant and prepare you for the intensive follow-up required for success.

If we determine your child could benefit from a cochlear implant, they will wear hearing aids before their surgery to give them as much auditory stimulation as possible.

The cochlear implant has an internal component that is implanted through a small incision behind the ear. This device that bypasses the damaged portion of the auditory system and electrically stimulates the auditory nerve in the cochlea. There is also an external component that's worn behind the ear like a hearing aid.

After implantation, a trained listening and spoken language specialist will work with your child on techniques and strategies to help them build speech, language and listening skills.

You'll also play an important role by using strategies at home to enhance your child's speech and language development. Research has shown that when children get their cochlear implants early on, have good parental support and a lot of encouragement at home, they can attain spoken language skills equal to other children who don't have hearing loss.