Long-term outcomes of cochlear implantation in the preschool years

A study of the long term outcomes of preschool implantation at the University of Texas Medical Center found that:

• Speech perception scores improved significantly with long-term cochlear implant use.
  
• Average language scores improved at a faster than normal rate.
  
• Reading scores did not quite keep pace with normal development.
  
• Performance in high school was most highly correlated with scores obtained in elementary grades.
  
• Better outcomes were associated with lower PTA cochlear implant threshold, younger age at implantation and higher nonverbal IQ.
  

The study concluded that early cochlear implantation had a long-term positive impact on auditory and verbal development, but did not result in age-appropriate reading levels in high school for the majority of students.