Children's communication mode five years after cochlear implantation: changes over time according to age at implant.

One hundred and seventy six children who had received cochlear implants at one centre in the UK were followed up for five years post-implant. The cohort was divided into three groups by age at implant. 1: Under three years of age; 2: Between three and five; 3: Over five. Their mode of communication was noted at four key intervals - pre-implant; 1, 3 and 5 years post-implant. It was classified as either oral or sign. By five years post-implant, 83% of group 1 were using oral communication, 63.5% of group 2 and 45.1% of group 3. The results showed that the mode of communication five years post-implant is statistically related to age at implantation with more children implanted younger using an oral mode of communication (p = 0.001). Children implanted younger are more likely to change communication mode over time from sign to oral, and do so more quickly than those implanted later.