JRRD Volume 45, Number 5, 2008 At A Glance

Profoundly deaf people can have trouble mixing socially, and children born deaf rarely develop spoken language compared with persons who hear. Both groups can benefit from the cochlear implant. It has a microphone that passes signals to a small processor worn behind the ear. Coded information is then transmitted through the skin to the implanted unit behind the ear. This transmission stimulates the hearing nerve in the inner ear, and the responses pass to the brain where they are understood as speech. Most profoundly deaf people can benefit from and should seek professional help. Cochlear implants can also benefit people personally and emotionally and brings them greater job opportunities.