[Development of hearing, speech and language in congenitally deaf infants and children after cochlear implantation].

In Japan, universal newborn hearing screening has been partly introduced since 2000 in order to discover neonates with congenital deafness, and the average age at discovery was around five months; however, among infants who were not examined by the universal newborn hearing screening, the average age at discovery was around two years. After fitting hearing aids, congenitally deaf infants are educated in a preschool for speech and hearing. If hearing aids are not effective to develop hearing and speech, cochlear implant surgery is performed as modern technology. The outcome of hearing, speech and language after cochlear implantation was excellent. At the age of elementary school enrollment, most of their verbal IQ was considered to be the same as age-matched normal children. Cochlear implant is the most important treatment at present.