Early intervention for children
Learn why it's important to treat your child's hearing loss as soon as possible.
What you’ll find on this page
- The link between hearing and brain development.
- Why treating hearing loss early helps children to develop.
- Advice from parents who acted early.
If your child has hearing loss, getting treatment sooner rather than later has many benefits — from laying the foundation for fundamental language, allowing them to develop social skills and to help them succeed in school.
Why treating hearing loss in children early is important
As a parent, you always want the best for your child. Hearing plays a huge part in their emotional, social and intellectual development.
Early treatment may put your child's progress on par with their hearing peers — helping to give them equal opportunity to excel in life.1,2
A hearing screening for newborns is important to avoid any unnecessary delays in treatment.
The power of language
Babies and children learn to talk by listening to their parents and the world around them. When infants babble, it's part of their language development; they're experimenting with communication and mimicking the words they hear.
Hearing is important to their language development, which affects how they interact with others and how they perform at school.
The earlier you treat hearing loss, the better chance your child may have to develop language equivalent to a normal-hearing child. Children who received cochlear implants at six months old display stronger language skills compared to those treated when they were two years old.3
For example, Patrick received a Cochlear™ implant on his first birthday. At age four, his school tests showed his language skills were in line with his peers. He now wants to be a veterinarian. Watch his story below.
"He gets to go to the gifted program. For someone who has hearing loss, it's even more amazing!"
- Parents of Patrick H, Cochlear™ Nucleus® recipient, USA
Hearing at school
Taking care of your child's hearing loss early gives them the best chance to attend mainstream schools and thrive alongside their hearing peers.
Benefits may include:
achieving their full academic potential
possibly making new friends more easily
keeping up with other children
better communication with teachers and classmates
building confidence and self-esteem.
Your audiologist will recommend the best options to treat your child's hearing loss. They may also point you to support groups and resources to help you and your family.
Find a hearing health specialist near you
There are no clinics close to you.
You can search for clinics in a different location, or contact Cochlear to understand what the next steps for you would be.
