Communication Intervention for Children With Cochlear Implants

Abstract

This article describes the intervention programs attended and progress made by 2 children who exhibited considerable differences in benefit from their cochlear implants. The children differed in many ways, including age at onset of deafness, preimplantation communications skills, age at implantation, the amount and types of intervention services received, and the rate at which they developed oral communication skills. Their intervention programs employed both analytical and synthetic auditory training and emphasized the development of speech production and language skills. These case studies help to illustrate the range of outcomes among cochlear implant recipients and the adaptability needed to design and implement individualized intervention programs.