The cochlear implant is an electronic device used for hearing improvement. It is a good option for people who have severe hearing loss and the hearing aid is not working well for them. It has the following parts.
a. A microphone picks up sound from the environment.
b. A speech processor selects and arranges sounds picked up by the microphone.
c. A transmitter and receiver receive signals from the speech processor and convert them into electric impulses.
d. An electrode array, a group of electrodes, collects the stimulator impulses and sends them to various regions of the auditory nerve.
How does a cochlear implant work?
A cochlear implant works much better than hearing aids. It generally bypasses the damaged portions of the ear and delivers sound signals to the hearing nerve. But Hearing aids only amplify the sound.
Cochlear implants with a sound processor fit behind the ear. The processor normally captures the sound signals and transfers them to a receiver. Then the receiver sends the signals to electrodes implanted in the cochlea. The signals, coming from the receiver, stimulate the auditory nerve, which then directs the signals to the brain.
Who gets cochlear implants?
Children and adults who have severe deafness can use cochlear implants.
Some adults who have lost most of their hearing later in life can also benefit from using cochlear implants. They learn how to speak without any visual clues like sign language.
Benefits
a. Ability to hear speech without needing visual clues such as reading lips
b. Recognition of everyday environmental sounds
c. Ability to listen in a noisy environment
d. Ability to find where sounds are coming from
e. Ability to hear television programs, music, and telephone conversations
The Effect of Cochlear Implants on Young Deaf Children
From all the pieces of evidence, it is clear that, in an early stage of life, auditory input and communication are essential for the normal development of language, cognition, and behavior. Thus, deaf children tend to show delays in the production of oral language as well as important aspects of development such as visual attention and behavioral control. Cochlear implants work tremendously in restoring auditory information to deaf children.
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