Cochlear implantation in the very young child.

Children younger than 2 years of age were initially excluded from cochlear implant candidacy for a variety of reasons. Reasons ranged from concerns about the reliability of the diagnosis of a profound hearing loss in very young children, to concerns about surgical safety and long-term durability of the device in a growing child. Results from several recent studies have shown that children younger than 2 years of age can safely and successfully be implanted. Provided this success, and the general agreement that early remediation of a hearing loss provides a greater potential for speech and language development, implantation of very young children may soon become the norm rather than the exception. This article discusses the issues related to the implantation of young children and the need for special tools and protocols to use with this population.